Seams
by AJ and Sebastian Goin
Summary: JJ's life is falling apart at the seams. Can her friends help her stitch it back together?
1. Chapter 1

AN: I really have no idea where this is going but JenJen was begging for a story and this is the first idea that popped into my head. I want to state for the record that I don't hate Will. I really tried hard to once upon a time, but I just can't seem to do it. Also, for those of you who aren't reading my NCIS fic, Sebastian is on the fritz right now so there may be long gaps in updates and/or I may be flying solo on some chapters.

MN: She says I'm on the "fritz" like I'm a computer. I'm just having problems with writer's block is all. Again for those not reading our NCIS story, we now have a Facebook page. You can find the link on our profile. You can get updates there, send us feedback, and get priority for fic requests and participate in a change to our name. Check it out!

Disclaimer: If I owned Criminal Minds, William LaMontagne Jr. would have been a scoundrel that it was easy to dislike.

Spoilers: All through Season 8. I mean, literally some of the events of S8 are the basis for this fic.

* * *

"I don't want to have this fight with you again." JJ fought to keep her voice from rising. Henry was asleep and she preferred to keep it that way.

"We never had this fight to begin with. You weren't here enough for us to have it! All I asked is if this is going to be like last time and the time before?" She had to admit that Will wasn't yelling, but his tone of voice was harsher than any shout.

"Exactly what do you mean, Will? What about 'last time'?"

"The middle of the night phone calls and visits. You not coming home after a case. The way you acted after Prentiss 'died' and then again with Maeve. Are Henry and I in for yet another repeat performance?"

That was enough to make her blood boil. "That was different. Spence is different than Rossi. And, he's my best friend. But if Dave calls me at 2am, yes I am going to answer. And if he wants to grab dinner and talk after a case, I'll do that too. I thought you had come to terms with how close my team is."

"So did I. But I got a taste of how life with you could really be, and it was better. And I thought I could handle it when you went back, but after the past year…Things are different."

She bristled even more. "You mean _I'm_ different, right? And you know what, I am different. In the last two years I've watched Rossi lose first Caroline and now Strauss. I watched Spence lose Maeve. And I watched us all lose Emily all over again. But you know what? They're still my family."

Will physically turned away from her and walked toward the doorway that led from the kitchen to the dining room. He paused there and turned back. "They are, but what about me?"

He exited the room before she had a chance to respond. She needed to get out of the house, and fast. She charged through the doorway to the living room and to the front door, pulling her keys from the hook by the door as she went. It took a decided effort not to slam the door behind her.

* * *

She hadn't made a conscious decision to go to Spencer's apartment, but when she realized she was outside his building, it made sense. She knew he would probably still be up. It was Friday night and they had the weekend off so if he was home he would be reading or watching sci-fi movies she didn't understand.

She pulled her key from the ignition and opened the car door before she could change her mind. She knew the door code by heart and in a few short minutes she was standing outside his door. With a sigh she raised her hand and knocked lightly, determined not to wake him if he really was asleep.

She heard movement inside almost instantly, followed by her best friend's muffled voice. "I'm coming!"

He wretched open the door a moment later, the remote still in his hand. "JJ! What are you…" he seemed to notice the look on her face at that point and his smile faded. "What's wrong? Is Henry okay?"

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and tried to force them back. "Henry's fine. Will and I got in an argument." She knew better than to say 'fight' to him. Last time she had done that she'd barely managed to clarify things to him before he'd gone to confront Will.

He stepped back so she could step through the door then closed and locked it behind her. He turned off the TV just as she dropped herself onto his couch. "Spence, I didn't mean to interrupt your movie night. I just needed somewhere to go. You can finish watching."

He shook his head. "I've seen it before. What did you and will argue about?"

JJ sighed and curled herself up as he sat next to her. "Everything and nothing? It's the same old thing. I spend too much time with the team and not enough at home. Except at the moment the problem is when one of you is hurting I take care of you. After work tonight, I went to dinner with Rossi. He just needed someone to talk to that wasn't Hotch. When I got home, Will was mad."

"Did you call and let him know you'd be late?" Of course he was going to ask questions. He had to gather all of the facts before he rendered judgment.

"I called him at lunch. I thought he was okay with it. He _said_ he was okay with it. He can be hard to read over the phone sometimes. But tonight I read him loud and clear. It was like he was giving me an ultimatum. If I sacrifice time at home to take care of the team, he's done." She hugged her arms a little tighter around her knees.

Spencer looked at her for a moment then raised one eyebrow. "So, what are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "What can I do? You guys have been my family for longer than he has. And the team would never ask me to choose. If he wants to make me, I'll choose the team, every time."

* * *

Spencer was absentmindedly stroking JJ's hair as she slept with her head in his lap. After telling him her conclusion on her disagreement with Will, she had broken down in tears. He had held her and comforted her until she calmed and then had turned the television back on.

He had flipped through the channel guide before settling on 'Ghost', but she had fallen asleep before Sam was shot. Now the credits were rolling and JJ still slept.

He slipped out from under her carefully, sliding a pillow under her head, and pulled the fleece throw blanket from the back of the couch. Normally, he would have insisted she sleep in his bed while he took the couch, but he didn't want to wake her. He turned off the lights in the living room and kitchen, leaving the low glow of several nightlights and headed down the hall toward his bedroom.

He changed and climbed into bed, but laid there staring at the ceiling, thinking. He had wanted to ask JJ more questions about what she meant by saying she would 'choose the team' but had sensed that it wasn't the best time.

Whatever it meant, he was sure of one thing. No matter what, he would be there for JJ and Henry, in any capacity they needed him.

* * *

AN: Okay, that is the groundwork folks. This is a prologue, so there will be a time jump for the next chapter. I don't know when it will be up as I am going to alternate updates between this and "Freedom".


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I had a bad evening yesterday, so this chapter is probably going to be a bit angsty, but that's okay for the purposes of this story. Sebby has 'Freedom' to pump some fluff into anyway.

MN: I'm just gonna smile and nod here…

* * *

"Jayje?"

Garcia's voice snapped her from her thoughts and she looked guiltily at her friend. "Sorry, what?"

To her credit, the other woman just smiled at her. "Barbeque at Rossi's Saturday. You in?"

"Sounds great. Is this a family affair?" Since they had the weekend off barring a case taking them out of town before then, she had told Will she would take sole responsibility for Henry and she wasn't willing to give up time with him.

"Of course! There will be hotdogs a plenty, the pool shall be open, Cousin Jack has some new water toys, and Auntie Penny is bringing all the fixings for s'mores once the fire pit is up and burning!"

JJ couldn't help but laugh. Of course her son's godmother would be prepared for Henry and Jack to attend a team function. "Count us in. What time?"

Garcia tapped at a few keys on her computer. "The pool will be at our disposal starting at 1pm. Sent the reminder to your phone. And you are in charge of non-alcoholic beverages and potato salad."

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as the message was received. "Hey, what are you doing Sunday afternoon? Henry and I are meeting with a realtor to do some house hunting. Want to come with?"

For the first time since she had entered the woman's office, her friend frowned. "Sorry Peaches. I already have plans with Morgan that involve his bike and the open road. Why are you house hunting anyway? I thought you were staying where you're at and Will was looking for a place?"

JJ sighed and fiddled with a small stuffed bear she picked up from the top of the file cabinet. "I thought so too but now he's saying that that's not fair because he has Henry more so he should stay in the house. He says it'll be easier on Henry."

"Well that's a load!" JJ's eyes snapped up in surprise at Garcia. "Either way this is going to be confusing for Henry. He just wants the house because he knows you love it."

"It doesn't matter, I guess. He's not going anywhere right now and I can't keep living in the same house as him. It's been three months. I shouldn't feel like I have to answer to him anymore. I stayed late the other night to spar with Morgan and got the third degree when I got home. I mean, I can't even work out without having to justify it."

"I completely understand your dilemma, My Love. Why don't you take our walking, talking map with you? He'll be able to give you travel times, crime rates, and neighborhood history on the fly."

JJ took a deep breath and smiled. "You're right. I'll ask Spence to go with." She stood from her perch on the file cabinet and set the bear down. "I should get back to work. Talk to you later."

* * *

"Boys! No running near the pool!" JJ had to suppress a laugh as not only Henry and Jack, but also Spencer and Morgan hung their heads in embarrassment.

A moment later, the two adults had led the boys away from the deck and into the yard to continue their game of tag. She watched them play until a glass of iced tea suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up as she took the drink to find Hotch looking down at her.

Her friend and boss lowered himself into the chair next to her and followed her gaze out to the lawn. "Henry seems to be handling things well."

It may have been phrased as a statement, but she knew it was actually a question. "He is, for now. I don't know how easy it's going to be once I move out. Hopefully the excitement of getting to help decorate his new room will overshadow the change."

"I thought Will was going to find a place?"

She sighed. "So did I, but he's changed his mind and one of us has to go. I'm going to go look at a few places tomorrow."

With his sunglasses on, it was impossible to read Hotch's stoic face as his head turned to look at her. "You need company?"

She shook her head. "Spence is going with us. If we find anything we like, Morgan volunteered to go over the place for me."

Hotch simply nodded then turned back to watching their children play. "So, what kind of places are you looking at?"

"Mostly condos of various styles. I figured that with this job, I don't need to be worrying about mowing the lawn or shoveling the walk. Especially once I move out, I'm going to get little enough time with Henry. I don't want to have to take away from that."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Have you guys figured out custody yet?"

"Yeah. Pretty much the same as what you and Haley had. Unless they have something special planned, when I'm in town he's mine. We just need to get it drafted and signed. Same with the divorce paperwork, although I think I'm going to have a harder time getting him to sign that."

Hotch reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card which he passed to her. "He's a friend of mine from law school. As long as nothing is being contested, he will draft everything for you guys pro bono since you're a federal employee and Will's a cop. He's good. He'll make sure there isn't enough wiggle room in the paperwork for anybody to get screwed over later."

She tucked the card into the pocket of her shorts and smiled over at him. "Thanks Hotch. Now, I'm pretty sure if we don't let the four of them in the pool, they are going to destroy Rossi's back yard."

She stood and began stripping off her shorts and tank top, leaving just the bathing suit underneath. By the time she was walking toward the pool, someone ran past her. She vaguely registered that it was Hotch when his yell filled the yard.

"**Cannonball!**" He entered the water with a large splash, drawing the attention of their sons and friends.

The group rushed back to the deck. While Morgan, Spencer, and Jack pulled off their shirts and kicked off sandals, Henry walked to the edge of the pool and glared down at Hotch.

"Uncle Aaron, you's not allowed to run by da pool!"

Hotch grinned sheepishly. "You are absolutely right, Henry. That was a bad thing I did."

Jack jumped into the water next to his father with a splash of his own then surfaced. "Pool rules, Dad. You break them and you get a five minute time out."

JJ suppressed a giggle. He had been defeated by his own strict rules, enforced by the boys they were made for. As the rest of the group watched Hotch climb out of the pool, she crept up behind Spencer and Morgan. She readied a hand behind each and gave them a firm shove, sending them both flailing into the water.

When the men managed to find their footing they looked at one another. Mogan raised one eyebrow and Spencer nodded then the pair turned and advanced toward the side of the pool. Just as she realized their intentions, they both sprang from the water and latched on to one of her arms, pulling her in with them.

* * *

AN: Somehow this turned from angsty into fluffy. But really, it was a cute scene right? Also, apologies if this isn't quite flowing right. I wrote the majority of this chapter with a splitting headache.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I know I'm updating super slow on this and I'm sorry. I explained about weekends at work being nuts and I managed to get sick in the middle of it so I spent all of my day off yesterday either asleep or curled up on the couch watching NCIS. Also, as of this weekend it is official: I have seen every episode of Criminal Minds at least once. I got my mother addicted so we started watching them from the beginning. Ion has Seasons 1-7 that they show in order. Now I just have to get her to watch Season 8 (which I saw all of) before 9 starts.

MN: For those of you not reading 'Freedom', AJ has had a terrible headache since about Saturday. Since I live in her mind, my whole world been painful. So, I may not be a huge help on this one.

* * *

JJ sighed as she pulled into her driveway. Will's car was in its spot, so she was probably going to have to deal with grief from him for getting home so late. She shifted her minivan into park and turned off first the headlights then the engine.

So got out quietly, hoisting her purse onto her shoulder before opening the back door. She quickly unbuckled Henry and gently pulled him from his booster seat. By the time she made it up the front steps, the door was open. Will was silhouetted from behind by the light, but she could tell his frame was tense, angry.

She brushed past him without a word, pausing only to drop her bag before carrying Henry to his room. She roused him enough to get him changed into pajamas and to go to the bathroom before tucking him in. To his credit, the hostility was gone when Will stepped in to kiss his son goodnight after she had done so.

As she returned to the lower level of the house to pick up her discarded purse and put it where it belonged, she could hear Will following her. She had made it through hanging up the bag and her keys and into the kitchen to start water for tea before he spoke.

"Did you even consider calling to tell me you would be late?"

JJ sighed as she placed the kettle on the burner and took a deep breath as she adjusted the flame before turning. "Late for what? It's actually still twenty minutes until Henry's bedtime. And I was pretty sure I said I would take him for the entire weekend. It's still Sunday. What exactly was I late for, other than your expectations?"

His jaw opened and closed a few times before he managed to find words. "Fine then, what exactly was my son doing out until nearly bedtime? I'm pretty sure I have a right to know that."

"You want to know? Fine. We spent the day house hunting. Then Spence took us to dinner and to play at the park. We lost track of time until it started getting dark and we still had to take Spence home before we came back."

The way she had phrased her answer struck a nerve just as she had intended and his eyes narrowed, confirming her suspicions of what he thought. "So you're house hunting with Reid?"

JJ turned to pull a mug and the canister of tea from the cupboard. "Not that it's any of your business, but he went along for moral support and a second opinion. He's my friend and Henry's godfather. I value his input."

When he didn't reply she turned back around, pleasantly surprised to find the space behind her empty. He had, apparently left the room. She turned back and clicked off the stove then poured the hot water into her mug for her tea. Overall she had had a good weekend and a cup of herbal tea and the last couple chapters of the book she was reading seemed like the perfect way to end it.

* * *

JJ woke with a start at the incessant ringing of her phone. She didn't bother to look at the caller ID before she answered it. "Yeah."

"Sorry to wake you, but we're wheels up in sixty. Headed for Seattle. We'll brief on the plane." Hotch's voice was thick with sleep. It was obvious he'd been woken as well.

"Got it. I'll call Reid and Rossi. You got Morgan and Blake?" JJ was already out of bed, heading for her closet to pull out clothes.

"Yeah. I'll have Morgan handle Garcia." He disconnected the call and she immediately dialed Rossi.

She had him roused and instructed on the timeframe and was waiting for Spencer to answer before she glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. This time of day the metro ran infrequently; she'd have to pick him up. There went her chance at not having to choose between showering or doing her hair.

"JJ? Is everything okay?" Somehow he could go from asleep to alert in an instant.

"Yeah. Hotch just called. We've got a case in Seattle. Wheels up in an hour. I'll be there to get you in thirty minutes." He mumbled an agreement and they disconnected.

She rushed herself through a shower, not bothering to blow-dry or straighten her hair before dressing. She added a rain resistant jacket and a pair of galoshes to her go bag and moved it into the hallway. She paused in front of the door to what used to be the guestroom and was now Will's bedroom. At least until she moved out.

She knocked softly, but he slept lightly and a moment later she heard his groan of acknowledgment. She opened the door just enough to stick her head through. "I have to leave. We have a case. It's in Seattle."

"When will you be back? So I can tell Henry."

She heaved a sigh. "I don't know. Hotch didn't have time to brief me on the case. But I'll try to make time to Skype with him before he goes to bed tonight. I'll let you know."

He murmured in acknowledgement and she backed away, closing the door behind her. She retrieved her go bag and headed downstairs.

* * *

After Hotch had briefed them on the case, he'd instructed the team to catch a couple more hours of sleep on the flight. But JJ hadn't been able to fall asleep, so instead she'd gone through her contacts on her cell phone, moving the ones in and around Seattle temporarily to her favorites list in case she needed to access them. When she finished that she was considering checking her email when Spencer sat down across from her.

"Couldn't sleep either?" His question was rhetorical; open ended enough to leave her room to talk if she chose to.

"Had a hard enough time getting to sleep at home. Will and I had another…disagreement." It was a relief to have someone to talk to that she didn't have to worry was profiling her. It seemed to be a skill that he could turn off as he pleased and he was the only member of the team that didn't covertly profile the others when they were distressed.

"Was it because you were out later than normal or because you were out with me?" No, Spencer didn't covertly profile, he just cut straight to the heart of the issue.

"Both. And neither. I think it was just an excuse." JJ dropped her gaze to the table and fiddled with her phone.

Thankfully, he seemed to get the hint and changed subjects. "So, we didn't really talk this evening. What did you think of the houses?"

That improved her mood significantly. "I like the second we saw. But the fourth was probably my favorite. When we get back I'm going to see about having Morgan check them both out for me. If he approves I'll probably make an offer on the second one."

The look on his face conveyed his perplexity. "I thought you said the fourth was your favorite?"

She sighed heavily before responding. "It is, but it's got that basement apartment and it wouldn't get used and I would feel like it's a waste of space."

He pondered her words for a moment. "So lease it out."

She shook her head vehemently. "No way. I'm not letting a stranger live in my basement. Sounds like the start of a bad case."

His eyes rose to meet hers. "It doesn't have to be a stranger. My lease is up at the end of August and I would love getting to be closer to Henry. And I would feel better knowing the two of you weren't living alone."

She mulled over his offer. They weren't home for long stretches often and it would be nice to have someone to share the drive home from the airstrip with in the middle of the night or to cook for when Henry was with Will. Before she could finish thinking his face once again fell.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…just forget I mentioned it, okay?"

She reached over and placed her hand on top of his on the tabletop. "Spence, it's a good idea. I just need to think about it, okay?"

He nodded but still didn't bring his gaze back up to hers. "Okay. Why don't you try to rest until we land?"

* * *

AN: Well, that didn't end up where we intended it. So what we had planned for next chapter won't work now either. Drat. Hoping to get another chapter up before the weekend because, although it is my weekend off, JenJen is coming to visit and we are celebrating my birthday a week and a half early (provided I am no longer feeling like death).


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Don't say it. I know. I had family stuff occur then the holiday and my cousin in from Texas (only got to see her twice in over a week) then last week I started my full time job **and** my part time bumped me up to 34 hours. I was scheduled almost as much this week but my kitten decided to try and kill me Tuesday night resulting in me jacking up my knee. So I'm off at the PT until cleared by an orthopedist. Hopefully I can bang out a chapter or two each for this and 'Freedom' in that time.

MN: OMG! I haven't seen the light of day in far too long! Just to punish her for locking me up, both this and the next chapter of 'Freedom' shall be fluff city!

* * *

JJ closed Henry's bedroom door behind her as quietly as possible before turning down the hall. In moments she was back in her overcrowded new living room. She squeezed herself back into her spot between Garcia and Hotch. The former handed her back her beer while the later raised a quizzical eye at her.

She smiled back. "They're fast asleep. Apparently they never did decide who was going to get to sleep on the top bunk because they're both up there, heads at opposite ends."

"That sounds like them." Her friend shook his head with a smile and raised his own beer, turning back to his conversation with Morgan.

She took the opportunity to look around at her family. They had spent the previous weekend helping her move in to her new home and the one two weeks before that decorating the house. Now they were all squished into her living room after an afternoon of grilling, sprinklers, and games.

Every time she had spoken to her mother in the last four months she had been grilled about whether she was 'alright', almost like she wasn't supposed to be. In reality, she felt extremely lucky. She had not only her biological family to lean on, but her team as well.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Rossi stood. "I am definitely getting too old for these late night parties. You all will just have to continue in my absence."

As JJ rose from the couch to walk him out, Spencer scrambled up from his spot on the floor. "Would you give me a ride?"

Rossi nodded simply and headed for the door, followed by the younger man and chorus of farewells. As he exited the house, Spencer hung back at the door, waiting for JJ to catch up with him.

"Thanks for coming. We'll have to do this again downstairs once you're moved in."

He fiddled with his keys, particularly the shiny new one. "Sounds good. Ummm, is it okay if I come over tomorrow? I want to check out some paint samples in the light downstairs and take some measurements so I can start working on decorating and the floor plan."

She stilled his hand with her own. "Of course. It's your place. And I'm sure Henry and Jack won't turn down the chance to hang out with you."

"Well it's just that I don't technically move in until the end of the month and I don't want to impose. You and Henry need to get settled."

JJ narrowly managed to suppress her eye roll. "Spence, this is your home, no matter when you move in. And part of us getting settled is getting used to you being around." A horn beeped sharply outside. "You better go or Rossi's going to leave you. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a quick hug then opened the door.

* * *

Her house had slowly eased into silence. After Rossi and Spencer, Blake had been the next to go. A while later had been Morgan, then Garcia. The only people left other than herself and the boys asleep upstairs were Hotch and Beth.

As JJ placed what she thought was the last dirty glass in the dishwasher, her boss entered the room carrying another. "Found one more on the patio."

"Thanks." She took it from him and placed it in the top rack then closed the door. "You know, you didn't have to stay to clean up. The whole point of me keeping Jack tonight and tomorrow is to give you some time alone with Beth."

He shrugged. "It's not _that_ late. Didn't want you to have to pick up after everyone on your own."

JJ rolled her eyes. "I'm calling bullshit. You wanted a chance to talk to me alone so you can figure out how I'm doing. You do know that we can all feel it when you profile us, right? Your whole demeanor changes."

"You're deflecting."

His comment made her sigh. "I'm fine. I'm not going to say it's been easy, but it's been a hell of a lot better than the constant bickering. I think it will help once Spence is here. It was a little too quiet being in the house by myself this week when Henry was with Will. Other than that, I'm pretty relieved to have it over and done with."

Hotch held up his hands in defeat. "Alright. I'm convinced. We can leave it at that. See you at 7pm tomorrow?"

She let the smile return to her face. "Absolutely. Enjoy your time with Beth."

She followed him back to the living room where Beth was waiting, then escorted the couple to the door. Once it was shut behind them she locked it carefully then punched in the code to set the alarm system.

Upstairs, she indulged in a longer than normal shower before donning shorts and a tank top and climbing into bed. She'd decided not to keep the one she and Will had chosen together and couldn't be happier with the choice. Her new mattress was extremely comfortable and she was sleeping soundly on it the nights she was home.

She picked up her phone and plugged in the charger cord. When the screen lit up she noticed the icon alerting her to a new text message so she unlocked the screen and pulled it up. The message was a couple of hours old and from Spencer, of course.

** Made it home safely.**

She checked the time. It was approaching midnight but she decided to reply anyway.

_Sorry, just saw your message. Glad you made it home in one piece._

A moment later the phone vibrated against her nightstand.

**I guessed you were still otherwise occupied.**

_ Hotch and Beth left over half an hour ago. I just decided a long shower was in order_

**_ Enjoying Garcia's housewarming present?_**

That made her smile. Her friend had insisting on buying her a ridiculously luxurious shower head for the master bathroom as a housewarming gift.

_YES! We'll have to get you one. I swear, it's life changing._

** If you say so. **

_ I do. Are you staying for dinner tomorrow? I have to take Jack home at 7. I could drop you off at the same time._

** Sounds like a plan. What are we having?**

_ I let the boys choose, so, Mac 'n cheese with hotdogs._

** They have good taste. Need me to bring anything?**

_ Just yourself._

** Alright.**

_ Do you want me to come pick you up tomorrow?_

** No thanks. The weather is supposed to be beautiful. I prefer to take the metro.**

She knew better than to try to argue with him.

_Okay. Let me know if you change your mind._

** I will. See you in the morning.**

_ :-D Goodnight._

** Goodnight.**

By this point JJ's light was off and she was already nestled down in her covers. She placed her phone back on her nightstand and drifted off almost immediately.

* * *

AN: Need some input on how I formatted the text messages. Did you guys like, or no? Any suggestions? Options are limited on here. It was much prettier in word.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: At this point, I'm pretty sure the only one still wanting anything to do with my writing is JenJen. Sorry. Life Has just been nuts. I have quit my part time job in an effort to start having more time with my family, so that also means I should have more time to write. Also, this is barely edited. Benadryl kicked in. Forgive us any mistakes.

MN: I could blame her for the long lapse, but it has been my fault as well. The training for her new job is pretty intensive and our brain has been kind of overloaded. We are not promising any type of particular timeframe, but we do promise to make more of an effort!

* * *

JJ woke slowly. There was a hand on her shoulder, shaking gently. As her eyes focused, they followed the arm attached to the hand until they landed on Hotch's face. "We're ten minutes out."

She knew from years of routine that he needed her to help wake the team, so, as he stepped away toward Rossi, she rose and moved in the opposite direction. Morgan was always easy to rouse. The moment she turned off his MP3 player, his eyes shot open and connected with hers. His hand rose and pulled his headphones off as his eyebrows quirked up.

"Wheels down in ten." He nodded in understanding of her simple statement and she moved on to Spencer, who was stretched out on the couch. She perched on the arm and reached out to gently brush the hair from his face. "Spence?"

His eyes opened more slowly than Morgan's, but they did, eventually, come to rest on hers. "We're about to land."

"Okay. Thanks." He stretched his lanky frame as he sat up. She stood once again and moved back toward the table she had shared with Hotch. Blake and Rossi were both awake as well now, packing their paperwork back into their briefcases. JJ dropped back into her seat to do the same.

The plane touched down just as she shoved the last folder into her bag. As usual, she exited the jet last, ensuring that no one had forgotten anything as she went. The first of the two waiting SUVs had already pulled off by the time her feet hit the pavement. She climbed into the remaining one, already occupied by a driver, Blake, and Spencer. Her go bag was in the cargo area and she set her briefcase with Spencer's between them.

The drive between the airstrip and the federal building only took a few minutes, but she still had to struggle to stay awake in the silence. They had been gone for ten long days, running on a bare minimum of sleep the entire time, and they were all exhausted.

The pulled up in front of the doors to the building that housed their offices behind the other vehicle. Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi already had their bags unloaded onto the sidewalk. The trio immediately moved to the second SUV when it stopped to pull their teammates' bags out.

When the pair of black vehicles had pulled away, Hotch ran his hand wearily through his hair. "Go home. Come in whenever you want to tomorrow for paperwork, then go back home. We're on stand-down for the weekend. Everyone get some sleep and I'll see you Monday."

The group dispersed quickly. Morgan shouldered his duffel and headed into the building to make sure Garcia went home while everyone else slowly collected their bags and trudged toward the parking garage.

Spencer fell into step beside her and JJ started talking in an effort to make herself more alert. "This is the weekend Henry and Will were going camping so we'll have the house to ourselves."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his shoulders slump. Since he had officially moved in to the basement apartment nearly a month ago, they hadn't been home for more than a couple of days at a time and he was obviously disappointed at the idea of Henry being gone on their first full weekend home.

"We can finish unpacking your stuff so you can finally feel at home." She hoped she could distract him so he wouldn't be depressed.

"You've done an excellent job of that already Jayje. I haven't really felt like I had a home like this since I was a kid." His hand crossed the distance between them to squeeze hers briefly before returning to his side.

They finished the walk to JJ's minivan in silence, loaded their bags, and got in. She started the engine and carefully backed out of her space. They maintained their silence until they had pulled out through the security gate. "Want to stop for something to eat? There isn't much in the house so we probably don't want to wake up starving later."

She heard him nod more than saw him in the dark. "Yeah. I don't think I've eaten a full meal in days. You probably haven't either."

Her stomach rumbled in response and they both laughed heartily. She had only barely gotten her chuckles under control when they pulled into the IHOP parking lot several minutes later.

* * *

As she stepped out of the bathroom after her shower, JJ heard the sound of a car door closing in the driveway. Spencer had borrowed her minivan to run to the store. She had given him the spare key to it when he moved in and he was starting to get comfortable with borrowing it when the need arose.

It was a warm day so she pulled on khaki shorts and a tank top then exited her bedroom. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she nearly collided with Will. He had a key to the house in case Henry needed anything when she was gone, but she was startled to see him there. "Uhhhhh, hi?"

Will looked just as surprised to see her. "Hi. I didn't think you were here. Your car wasn't in the driveway and it's a weekday."

"Yeah. I have to go in later to write my case report and Spence ran to the store." She left the question unasked, but showing obviously on her face.

"Sorry. We were on our way out of town but Henry forgot his flashlight here. I told him I'd buy him a new one, but he insisted he had to take the one that Morgan had given him because it had superhero powers to keep monsters away."

"Ahhh. That sounds like our son." The patter of feet on the stairs behind her had her turning just in time to catch her son as he propelled himself at her.

"Mommy! We thought you wasn't here! Did you catch the bad guy?" The boy clung to her tightly.

"We sure did. I didn't get home until really late last night. I was about to call you so I could talk to you before your camping trip." She managed to loosen his grip enough that she could easily breathe again.

"I missed you. Are you gonna come on the camping trip with us since you's home?"

JJ's heart sunk. "No, Sweetie. The camping trip is special just for you and Daddy. But I know you are going to have a ton of fun. And you're going to take lots of pictures for me, right?"

The boy nodded solemnly. "Right. Lots and lots."

Will cleared his throat. "We should really get going. If we don't get there early we won't get a good spot for our tent."

JJ hugged Henry tightly once more and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Be good. I love you."

"Love you too, Mommy. Tell Uncle Spence I says hi, okay?"

JJ agreed then escorted her son to the door and stayed on the porch as he was buckled into the back of Will's SUV. As they pulled out, she turned to enter the house but stopped as her own vehicle pulled into the space that had just been vacated.

Spencer quickly exited and pulled a few bags from the side door then strode up to the porch. She took half of the bags and opened the door so they could go inside. "Was that Will I saw pulling out?"

He was trying to sound casual but that had never been one of his strong suits. "Yeah. Henry forgot the flashlight Morgan gave him so they stopped by to pick it up on their way out of town."

"How did it go?" He was deliberately not looking at her as he unloaded the perishables into the refrigerator.

"I'm glad I got to see him. And he told me to tell you hi."

"I meant with Will."

She had known exactly what he had meant. "It was alright. Cordial. Better than things have been lately."

"Good. I would have hated for him to spoil your mood. I was hoping we could hang out this weekend, just you and me. After we go in to complete our reports, of course. We haven't spent much time together recently without someone else from the team around."

JJ smiled broadly. "Sounds like a plan." She shut the cabinet where she had just placed the last package of dried goods. "Should we get going?"

Spencer nodded. "Sure. Let me grab my bag."

* * *

AN: I know I keep jumping forward in time but I don't feel like writing a ton of mundane chapters and I want this fic to cover quite a bit of time. Hoping to get the next chapter up before week's end!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: It's been wonderful getting full night's sleep multiple nights in a row! Now if I could just remove the Benadryl (and subsequent hangovers from said antihistamine) from the equation, we'd really be getting somewhere. Also, while Sebby wants to write, I want to roll Katamari, so we came to a compromise: writing tonight since my half of the brain is done in for anyway and Katamari tomorrow!

MN: All I can say is that at least she isn't combining high doses of caffeine with her high doses of Benadryl. That just gets special all around. As for this chapter, after the first little bit here (which AJ and I wrote at work yesterday) I have NO idea where I'm going with this chapter before I start writing it so hang on and enjoy the ride!

* * *

JJ unwrapped a small framed picture of his mother and handed it to Spencer. He, in turn, wiped it off and positioned it carefully on a shelf. She reached back into the box and withdrew another wrapped item and pulled the paper off.

She froze when she realized what she was holding. "You still have this?"

He took the frame from her gently and methodically wiped away the dust and fingerprints. "Of course! It was a great day."

As he placed the frame on the shelf next to the other, JJ continued to stare. The frame held a picture of the two of them at the Redskins game they had gone to almost eight years ago, as well as a ticket stub from the stadium. "It _was_ pretty great. You know, you never did tell me what sparked you to take me to that game."

He shrugged as he reached down and took another bundle of paper from the box. "I wanted to get to know you better. You didn't treat me like a child, and…"

He stopped midsentence and she considered letting the subject drop, but curiosity got the better of her. "And what, Spence?"

He fidgeted with the small statue in his hands. "That. You were the only person to ever call me that, to ever give me a nickname out of affection."

"Oh. Well, I wanted to make you feel like you belonged, and, besides, 'Spencer' just seemed a little too formal for someone I spent so much time with." She resumed her pattern of unwrapping things to hand to him.

"Well, it worked. You were my first real friend. Ever." His back was to her again, but she could hear in his voice that her actions so long ago had really meant the world to him.

She handed him the last knickknack from the box then stood. "Well, I'm glad I decided to call you 'Spence' then. You ready for lunch?"

He seemed relieved at the change in subject. "Sure. We've gotten a lot done already. A break would be nice." He placed the last item on the shelf then followed her toward the stairs. "This afternoon I just need to unpack a couple more boxes of books and I'll be done."

* * *

"So, what did you and Boy Wonder get up to this weekend with Henry gone?" Garcia's question was posed without slowing down her typing speed in the least.

JJ was perched on the edge top of a filing cabinet in her friend's office as the Technical Analyst completed a few fast searches for her. "Saturday we managed to finish getting him unpacked. You did a great job helping him plan the décor."

The other woman's grin widened. "But of course! Did you expect anything less from a goddess?"

She couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose not. I did learn something new about Spence this weekend."

Garcia's fingers paused momentarily above the keys before the rapid tapping resumed. "Oh, really? Do share!"

"Our logic driven genius is quite sentimental at heart. He has every birthday card his mother has ever given him. Every letter too. Yours as well. The letter of recommendation Gideon wrote him to bypass the physical testing qualifications when he joined the bureau was in there. And he still has that picture and ticket stub I had you frame for me to give to him after that Redskins game." She slid from her seat to read the screen over Garcia's shoulder.

"I didn't know about the other stuff, but the picture I did. I helped him pack up his shelves. Had it right between the picture of his mom and the one of him and Henry." She hit a key and the information JJ had requested began printing.

"I love that picture! Henry has it on his nightstand at Will's now."

"Back to my favorite topic, Henry. How did he like camping?" She was using a sparkly purple stapler to attach groups of the documents she'd printed.

"He had fun, but I'm glad to have him home. We've been gone so much lately. I just hope we can manage to stay home for a while. He starts school in a week and I want to spend some time with him before he officially becomes a pre-kindergartener." She slid the stacks of paper into a file folder as they were handed to her.

"I shall keep my fingers crossed when I'm not typing. But for now, be gone mere mortal! I'm supposed to be working on things for Hotch."

JJ laughed as she crossed to the door. "Alright. You should stop by this week and see Henry. His misses you."

"Absolutely!"

JJ returned to her office and the stack of waiting files on her desk. She sorted the new paperwork into the appropriate folders then used color coded sticky-notes to label them according to which member of the team they needed to be distributed to.

It was nearly noon before she had the pile divided into six stacks. She gathered the five that did not belong to her and set off to distribute them to the team. She dropped Morgan his first, then Rossi, Hotch, and Blake. She set Spence's on his desk and waited for him to finish writing in the folder he already had then look up. "Hey. Want to grab lunch?"

He eyed the stack of case files she'd just delivered. "I don't know. Looks like I have a lot to do."

"None of it is anything that can't wait an hour. I promise. Garcia is up to her eyeballs in research for Hotch so we had to postpone our Monday lunch date. Please?" She could read on his face the exact moment in which she had his mind changed.

"Alright. I suppose it won't hurt. Where did you want to go?" He stood and followed her through the bullpen.

"We haven't been for sushi in a while." She led him down the hall to her office to retrieve her purse before walking with him toward the elevator.

"Sounds good."

* * *

JJ set down her chopsticks. Somehow, she and Spencer had managed to finish off the large selection of food they had ordered and she was feeling decidedly full. Across the table, he pushed a single grain of rice around on his plate with his fork. "Are you ever going to try chopsticks again?"

He paused and looked at her, then the fork in his hand. "Eventually. Maybe. When I'm alone. I still can't believe I somehow managed to launch one at you last time."

She grinned at him. "No harm, no foul." Her cellphone vibrated in her purse and she pulled it out and read the screen, then sighed. "Great. I just got scheduled for a meeting at five. Will has to be at work at six so I was supposed to get Henry by five thirty."

Spencer set down his fork. "I can go get him. I mean, if that's okay with you. I'd get to spend extra time with him and Will won't have to take him to the babysitter's on short notice."

"That's a great idea. Another media liaison lives close to us. I'm sure I can get a ride home from her so you and Henry don't have to come get me. As long as you're sure you're okay with having to deal with Will."

This time it was his turn to grin. "No problem."

* * *

AN: This was gonna be a little longer but hey, it's already 1400 words and it's past my bedtime.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I skipped the Benadryl last night. Huge mistake. I itch everywhere and my head hurts so I'm taking some now. This does mean that I can't guarantee as to how much sense this chapter will make.

MN: Let me tell you what, this chick is a special snowflake on the Dryl! Also, I've forgotten more about health insurance this week than I think most people will ever know. Brain: broken.

* * *

After closing her son's bedroom door, JJ padded back down the stairs to find the living room and kitchen deserted. She pulled a pair of beers from the fridge and crossed the door that led to Spencer's downstairs apartment. It was slightly ajar, so she nudged it open as she knocked on the frame.

"You can come down." The reply was muffled, leading her to believe that her roommate was in his bedroom, likely changing. He and Henry had made dinner for her, and she was fairly sure that the pair of them had gotten almost as much potato on themselves in the mashing process as had eventually make it to the plates.

She stepped off the bottom stair just as he emerged from the bedroom. His shaggy hair was damp and she fought back a grin. Apparently the potato damage was bad enough to warrant a deviation from his normal routine of showering in the morning. "Thought you might like one of these." She handed him one of the beer bottles then opened her own and crossed to his sofa.

He followed her, sitting down at the opposite end of the couch before uncapping his own drink and taking a long pull. "Thanks. And thanks for letting me spend time with Henry tonight."

A small smile curved her mouth upward. "Hey, I'm the one who should be thanking _you_. You came to my rescue big time tonight."

He shrugged nonchalantly but didn't make eye contact with her. "I had fun. It's no big deal."

His tone confirmed for her something that she had suspected since she'd gotten home an hour and a half earlier: something was amiss. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The reply came quickly and he began picking at the label on the beer bottle.

"Obviously something is bothering you." She set down her drink on the table then scooted closer to him. She removed the sweaty glass from his fidgeting hands then placed one of hers on them to still his movement. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right Spence?"

He nodded, staring down at their hands. "I know."

"So talk." She squeezed his hand gently in hers.

That small action seemed to break through the last of his resistance. "I don't want you to get mad, okay? It's not worth it."

"I can't promise I won't get mad, but I can promise to listen."

He glanced up at her face before lowering his gaze once again. "When I went to go pick up Henry he was finishing cleaning up his room. Will took the opportunity to make a few remarks. That's all."

JJ took a deep breath to prevent herself from immediately losing her cool. "What did he say?"

"He, uhhh, he accused me of trying to steal his family. He said that it was bad enough I took you away from him but I better not think I was going to replace him with Henry too." His face lifted and his eyes met hers for the first time all evening. "I swear, Jayje, I don't want to replace Will in Henry's life. He's a great dad and I know what it's like to grow up without that. I wouldn't do that to Henry."

She tightened her grip on his hands. "I know you wouldn't. You want what's best for him, and what's best means having both of his parents in his life. But it also means having his godfather in his life too, and I chose you to be that for a reason."

His response was a simple nod. They lapsed into silence. She silently seethed while he recovered from the feelings of guilt that had been plaguing him that evening. A few minutes later she wished him a goodnight and headed back upstairs.

After ensuring the house was properly locked up and the lights were off on the main floor, she ascended the other flight of steps. She checked briefly on her son, who was sleeping soundly, then moved to her own room. She shut the door and pulled her phone from her pocket. After a moment of consideration she typed out a text and sent it to Will.

_Busy?_

She slid out of her clothes and pulled on the oversized t-shirt she wore to bed. As the hem hit her thigh, her phone buzzed, signaling a reply.

**Surprisingly quiet evening. What's up?**

She tapped the screen of her phone. As the call connected, she raised it to her ear. She barely gave him a chance to answer before she laid into him. "What the hell is your problem? You can be mad at me, but leave Spencer out of it!"

"Well hello to you, too." His voice dripped with sarcasm, despite the low volume of his words. She heard the creak of his desk chair as he stood, probably to step outside where he was less likely to be overheard.

"I think we're a little past pleasantries tonight, Will. Don't you?" She was pacing her bedroom floor, using the movement to release some of her frustration to keep from raising her voice.

"I think Reid and I were a little past pleasantries from the moment I asked you out." She heard the background noise change and knew he had just exited the precinct.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come off it, JJ. He's been more than a little in love with you for as long as I've known you. Probably for as long as _he's_ known you. I'm sure he was elated when you told him you were leaving me. Left him the perfect opportunity to weasel his way further into your life. I'll be damned if he does the same with my son."

She could feel the rush of blood to her face as her anger bubbled even further. "Spencer is my friend, and he wanted to be yours too. He's the one person that _didn't_ tell me to drop you on your ass when we started having problems. He's actually the one that kept asking me if I was sure of what I was doing. He doesn't want to steal Henry from you. He wants to be a good Uncle. He wants to help out when he can. But he doesn't want Henry to grow up without his father like he did."

"Spencer Reid may want a lot of things in life, but my friendship isn't one of them. Tell me, are you really that naive when it comes to him, or do you just like the attention he gives you?"

This time, she couldn't prevent her voice from rising, although she did manage to ensure she wouldn't wake her son. "You listen and you listen good. Spencer is my friend and a part of Henry's life whether you like it or not, so put on your big boy undies and deal with it." She disconnected the call without waiting for further reply from her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

She continued to pace her room for a while to calm herself down. Once she was sure she was no longer as red in the face as she had been she stopped and flopped down on her bed. She really needed to try to get some sleep, but she was too wired. With a sigh she pushed from the bed and headed downstairs.

A cup of herbal tea would calm her body and spirit at least, although most likely not her mind. Lost in thought, she walked to the kitchen on autopilot and ran straight into Spencer as she rounded the corner. The collision sent him wobbling into the counter.

"Oh crap! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, Spence!"

He steadied himself on his feet and nodded, rubbing at the spot where his hip had connected with the countertop. "I'm okay." He turned to face her, still tenderly massaging the point of impact.

"Let me get you an ice pack. I can't believe I let myself get that distracted that I wasn't even looking where I was going!" She stepped toward the freezer but his hand shot out and grabbed her by the elbow.

"JJ, really, I'm fine. It was just a bump." The kettle whistled on the stove and he stepped over to turn off the flame. "I was just making a cup of tea. Want one?"

"That's actually what I came down for." As he pulled another mug from the cabinet, she reached over to the canister that held the bags of the tea they both loved. "Why did you come up here for tea though? I thought we got your kitchen all unpacked yesterday?"

His ears and cheeks reddened as he carefully poured the hot water into the waiting cups. "I left my bag up here and when I came up to get my book out of it, I could hear you on the phone upstairs. It sounded like you were angry and I guessed you were talking to Will. So, I just sort of figured you'd need tea before bed. Thought I'd save you some time."

She dropped a tea bag into each cup and picked one up, carrying it to the small breakfast nook. She sat at the table and waited for him to join her. "Well, thank you. How much of my conversation did you hear?"

He picked up the spoon he had brought with and used it to idly stir the hot liquid. "Nothing, really. Just your tone of voice. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." She stared down at his hands as they once again fidgeted. "He can be such an ass."

They sat in comfortable silence as they sipped their tea. When both mugs were drained, Spencer took both and set them in the sink, along with the spoon, and deposited the tea bags in the trash. As he went to cross back to the door leading to his apartment she stood.

"Hey, Spence?"

He paused and turned back toward her. "Yeah?"

She moved toward him quickly and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing and returning the embrace. "Thanks for being my friend."

He tightened his arms around her momentarily. "Always."

She leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before stepping back. "Night."

"Goodnight."

She spun easily on the tile floor in her bare feet and headed back upstairs.

* * *

AN: Gonna try for another chapter on this AND one on my NCIS story this weekend!


	8. Chapter 8

AN: On top of my allergies, I officially now have the cold that has been running rampant both at work and through my family. So I spent all of yesterday asleep (I was literally awake a total of 7 hours). I am feeling better today. Hoping to get this pounded out before I have to meet the family for dinner for my nephew's birthday.

MN: Talk about being in muse heaven. I've already written a chapter of 'Freedom' today. I am liking this whole 'weekends off' thing!

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she walked into the house was that it was quiet. She could hear the TV on in the living room, Despicable Me if she wasn't mistaken, but she could hear no other signs of her best friend or son. It was nearing 10pm but, by phone, she'd given her son permission to wait up for her since it was a Friday night. She quickly deposited the bags of groceries in the kitchen then followed the sounds of the movie.

She entered the living room quietly and was greeted with a sight that brought a smile instantly to her face. Spencer was laid out on the couch, intently watching the movie. Henry was stretched out on top of him, fast asleep. A creaking floorboard gave her away and Spencer's eyes darted immediately to her from the TV.

"How long has he been asleep?" She kept her voice low as she crossed the room to the couch.

Spencer glanced at the clock then looked back to her. "About fifteen minutes. He was trying to stay awake until you got home, but he just couldn't make it."

JJ reached down and brushed her son's hair from his face and he stirred. "Hey, sleepy boy."

"Mommy?" He blinked open his eyes and smiled sleepily up at her.

"Yep. And now that I'm home, _you_ need to go to bed." She reached for him but he shook his head.

"Can Uncle Spence tuck me in?"

JJ forced the smile to stay on her face, despite her disappointment. "Sure. But you have to ask him first."

The boys shifted and slid until he was standing beside the couch, looking at his godfather. "Will you tuck me in, please?"

Spencer nodded as he shoved himself to sitting. "Sure. Why don't you go start brushing your teeth and I'll be right there."

As her son took off toward the stairs, her friend stretched then stood. "You said you were stopping by the grocery store on the way home. Do you need help carrying anything in?"

JJ shook her head. "No, I didn't get a lot. I have a feeling we'll be heading out of town on Monday with that case in Oregon, so I just got enough for the weekend. Thanks again for watching Henry while I went back to the office. Gotta love international consults and the time differences they involve."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't an imposition. We had fun. He's really a great kid." He looked at the stairs. "I better get up there."

* * *

It was the smell of coffee that dragged her from the peaceful confines of sleep. As she woke, she realized that she was not alone in her bedroom. She opened her eyes and looked toward the door, surprised to see not just Henry, but also Spencer standing there. Both were sporting huge grins and the latter held a tray in his hands.

"Mommy, we made you breakfast!" The boy rushed across the room and jumped into the bed with her.

She pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his head. "Thank you, baby." She looked at her friend, still standing in the doorway. "Thank you too. Did you guys bring enough for yourselves too?"

"Yes. Henry told me it's a tradition to eat with the person you bring breakfast in bed to." He crossed the room and set the tray on the bed and took a step toward the chair by the wall.

Henry shook his head vehemently. "No, you gots to get in bed with us! Otherwise it's not breakfast in bed!"

Spencer looked at her nervously and she shrugged. "He has a point. It's not technically breakfast in bed unless you actually eat it while in bed." She gestured at the empty space on the other side of her son.

He considered their logic for a moment then rounded the bed and climbed on next to his godson.

"Before we eat we should take a picture of all of us for Auntie Penny!" Without waiting for approval from his mother, the boy was already reaching for her cell phone on the nightstand.

* * *

"That picture was adorable!" Monday morning found JJ once again perched on the file cabinet in her friend's office, the pair catching up on one another's lives as Garcia compiled some information for her.

She laughed and pulled her phone from her pocket. "Which one did they end up sending you? They took about a dozen."

As soon as she got the pictures folder open on her phone it was snatched from her grip. Garcia began flipping through the pictures with the repeated swipe of one electric green nailed finger. "Oh my goodness! Why didn't I get them all? They are adorable. Boy Wonder finally looks like he's settling in with you guys."

"It's about time! He's been living with us for two and a half months. Henry loves having him there." She accepted back her phone when it was offered and slid it back into the pocket of her jacket.

"Seems to me like Henry isn't the only one." Garcia was back to typing away at her computer and the printer had begun whirring as well.

"I love having him there. I like not coming home to an empty house. I love getting to spend time with him outside of work without having to juggle schedules to do it. And he comes in pretty handy when I get called in for meetings after hours and I have Henry." She pulled the pages from the printer and began sorting them.

"The only downside to that is a serious lack of emergency calls to Auntie Penny. I need you to schedule some time to be busy so I can hang out with my godson!" She jabbed the key to email the last bit of information to JJ then spun in her chair.

JJ's phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to check the email that had come through. "Well, it looks like you get your wish. I'm pretty sure we'll be headed to Oregon by the end of the day. Will's on shift tonight and the sitter doesn't get back from vacation until Wednesday."

Garcia's grin widened. "Fairy Godmother to the rescue! If you leave I shall retrieve the half pint from his father and deliver him unto the Jareau/Reid homestead to be tucked in both safe and sound between his How To Train Your Dragon sheets."

"You sure you're okay dealing with Will?" Although her ex hadn't made any more undeserved comments to or at Spencer recently didn't mean he'd afford her the same courtesy.

She, however, waived her hand dismissively. "I can handle Detective LaMontagne, don't you worry your pretty little head, Peaches. For now, you best go bring our fearless leader up to speed."

"Thanks Garcie." JJ gathered her files and exited the Technical Analyst's lair.

* * *

"Hi! Are you being a good boy for Aunt Penelope?" JJ kept her voice low. She was hidden in an office in a quiet corner of the police station they were setting up in.

"Yes. We had dinner and I watched Wall-E while Auntie P worked and then I taked my bath and now I am in my jammies all ready for bed!"

Her son sounded genuinely excited and that eased her nerves. "Good. Did you brush your teeth?"

"All of them. And I washeded my face too!"

"Did you remember all by yourself? You are getting to be such a big boy." She had to fight back the tear the realization brought to her eye.

"I know. Can I talks to Uncle Spence before I goes to bed?"

"Sorry, he's out trying to find the bad guy with Uncle Morgan." She could practically hear the smile slip from her son's face.

"Oh. Otay. Well tell him I misses him, please?"

"I will. I promise. I've got to go, baby. Uncle Hotch needs my help. Be good, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. Love you!"

"I love you too, Henry." JJ disconnected the phone and stuck it back in her pocket. She took a quick moment to suck in a deep breath and blink back the tears from her eyes. As much as she loved her job, the nights when she was separated from her son were a struggle that never got easier.

As she exited the room she nearly collided with Hotch.

"Hey, I was just looking for you. The departments press liaison could use your help." He seemed to notice the look on her face and his tone softened. "I take it you were calling?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It never gets any easier, does it?"

He shook his head. "Not in the least bit. I am just heading to call Jack myself."

She gave him a knowing nod. "That office is empty. I'll cover for you. Give him my love." She turned went in search of the department PR rep, leaving her friend to his own nightly ritual.

* * *

AN: In at the wire. Will write more this week if the brain doesn't get too burnt out at work.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Holy Muse, Batman! I let Sebastian loose with a notebook and pen and he spewed forth 7 ½ pages worth of story in under 3 hours! I can't take any credit for this. He was on FIRE!

MN: I wanted to write some more but she is insisting on typing this up first…

* * *

"Jayje?" The gently prodding voice combined with the steady pressure on her left wrist pulled her from the fog encompassing her mind.

"Hmmm?" She was so sleepy. All she wanted was to ignore the voices swirling around her.

"Exactly how much of that painkiller did they give her?" Why couldn't Morgan talk quieter?

"Apparently enough." At least Hotch knew how to speak softly.

"Should we call the doctor? I'm not sure it should be quite this hard to wake her up." What on Earth was Blake talking about?

"She's fine. Narcotics and exhaustion are just one heck of a combination." Rossi definitely knew what he was talking about with that one.

"C'mon Peaches. Rise and shine." Were they seriously going to sick Garcia on her?

With a sigh, she forced open her eyes, mostly so she could tell her friends to leave her alone. Her plans changed immediately when the reality of her location finally broke through into her clouded mind. She was lying in a hospital bed, her team surrounding her.

"What?" The word came out as a strangled croak thanks to the unbelievably arid state of her mouth. Her tongue felt thick and refused to separate from the surrounding skin.

Morgan's hand appeared to her left, grasping a cup, and he brought the straw to her dry lips as he spoke. "You really had us worried for a while there, Blondie."

The cool water did its job, moistening her mouth and freeing her tongue from the roof. She chanced another attempt at speech. "What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Hotch's voice was accompanied by a hand on her right shoulder and she turned toward him.

She did her best to rack her brain through the fog still trying to close back in. "We were going in to search the warehouse. I was with Rossi and Reid at the front. Blake radioed that you guys had the UnSub at the back. Then…"

She thought hard for a moment then shook her head. "That's it. I can't remember."

"We didn't have the UnSub. We had his younger brother." Blake's voice was apologetic from the foot of her bed.

"None of us saw any indication he had help, which is why the three of us stood down." Rossi's voice held its own measure of guilt from his spot next to Hotch.

She looked back to the left and locked eyes with Spencer as he fidgeted next to Morgan. "What happened Spence?"

"I was behind you and he just stepped out from behind a crate. He was extremely calm, serene even. Before I could react, he fired."

His eyes fell to the thin blanket covering her and Hotch picked up the story. "You took six shots to the vest at close range. Then you knocked your head on the crate on the way down."

The head injury explained why the painkillers were having such a drastic effect on her level of coherence. "The UnSub?"

Rossi hitched an eyebrow skyward. "Also took six to the torso. No vest."

As she considered this information, another thought crossed her mind. "When I was waking up, I could have sworn I heard Garcia."

"Guilty!" She looked toward the sound of her friend's voice and spotted the cell phone in Morgan's hand. "I had to make sure you were okay before I had to call Will."

She tried to sit up but a sharp pain ripped through her ribs and she sank back against the pillows with a small whimper and tears welling in her eyes.

"You shouldn't try to move suddenly. Ribs three through seven on your left side are heavily bruised and you have hairline fractures on ribs four and five as well as mild bruises on ribs eight through twelve, your scapula, your ilium, and your left hip and buttock." Spencer rattled off her injuries quickly and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you guys let him read my chart, for now. Garcie, please tell me Henry doesn't know?" Her son had enough fuel for bad dreams without being told his mother had been shot.

"What kind of fairy godmother do you take me for? Of course not!"

"Thank you. And don't worry about Will. I'll call him in a bit." She figured he'd take it a little better coming from her.

"As you wish. I bid you farewell!" The technical analyst disconnected the call without waiting for further reply.

Before JJ could ask any more questions, a nurse appeared in the room and shooed her friends out. The woman checked and recorded her vitals, then breezed out as quickly as she'd come, only to be replaced almost immediately by a doctor.

The man was flipping pages on her chart as he strode in. "Agent Jareau? I'm Doctor Mitchel Long. Glad to see that you're awake. How do you feel?"

She studied the man out of habit, cataloguing pieces of information for later analysis. "Fine, as long as I don't move."

"I imagine. The left half of your torso is pretty black and blue. All things considered though, you're pretty well off. It could have been a lot worse."

She nodded solemnly as she realized that he was right. If the UnSub had taken aim at her unprotected head… "When can I get out of here?"

He grinned as he made some notes in her chart. "I want to keep you overnight for monitoring because of the head injury. I'll make a deal with you: if you promise to never get shot within a hundred miles of here again, I'll make you my first eval in the morning."

JJ groaned. "I take it my team was a little…overbearing?"

He pulled a stool next to the bed and sat down. "I would have used the word 'obnoxious', but 'overbearing' works."

"Just how bad were they?" She tried not to picture how much of a pain the men in her life could be.

"The big guy practically frisked anyone who came anywhere near your room. And the quiet, serious one, your boss I think, he was demanding an update every five minutes until we let him see you. The older guy alternated between flirting with the female staff in an attempt to get information and insulting the coffee. And let's not leave out the tall, skinny one that rode in with you. It took us a minute to figure out that the blood on him was all yours, he was so frazzled."

Her heart sank at the idea of Reid, covered in her blood and panicked.

"As an improvement though, once he calmed down we couldn't seem to keep your chart out of his hands. We finally gave up and made copies for him every time we updated it. Then, of course, there were the phone calls, plural, from some woman named 'Garcia'. Half of my staff now refuses to answer the phone without hazard pay. At least Agent Blake was calm and collected once she showed up. She helped out enormously with the rest of them."

JJ grimaced as he finished. "They can be a little overprotective."

The man smiled at her once again. "It's obvious that they care about you." He checked his watch then stood. "I'm headed out for the night, but I've okayed some more painkillers for you. And I _am_ telling your team that only one of them can stay the night. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

"Spence, I'm fine. Really. You don't have to stay." She tried for what had to be the dozenth time to convince him not to spend the night with his long limbs squashed awkwardly into a chair in her hospital room.

"I want to. And I beat Morgan and Hotch fair and square in 'Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock'!" He pulled a file from his bad as he spoke, setting it on the window ledge.

"I'm going to be doped back out of my mind soon. You are the _last_ person who should have to deal with that."

He turned to look at her. "I can handle it. I promise. Let me stay, okay?"

The pained look on his face made her relent and she murmured an agreement as a nurse once again bustled in. Once she'd been redosed with the narcotics, she returned her focus to her best friend. "You know this isn't your fault, right? If it weren't for you and Rossi, who knows what would have happened."

He avoided her gaze as he settled himself in the armchair. "I know. Logically, I _know_. But there's still this little feeling in the pit of my stomach of guilt. You shouldn't have been in front."

She had been trying for the past several hours to get him to open up. Now that he was finally talking, she didn't want to make him clam back up, so she proceeded carefully. "Why not? I _am_ a field agent after all. Would you feel like this if it was Morgan who'd been hurt?"

He was still staring intently down at his feet. "No, but…"

"But?" She was treading on thin ice now, but the medication was starting to take hold once again, impairing her judgment.

"But it's different with you. You're always taking care of everyone else so someone needs to take care of you. And since you're _my_ best friend, it should be me."

JJ tried to hide the yawn that came with a sudden rush of exhaustion. "I can take care of myself you know."

"I know." She hadn't noticed him rise and cross to her bed, but suddenly he was there. "But you don't. You're so busy worrying about Henry and me and the team that you never focus on yourself. So just this once, let me take care of you, okay?"

His calm voice was soothing in her current state and she found it impossible to object. "Okay."

As she drifted off, her last awareness was of the blanket being carefully pulled over her.

* * *

AN: There's actually another page written, but it is more suited to serve as the beginning of the next chapter. So, we shall bid you adieu for now. We are going to try to get a chapter of 'Freedom' up before we do another with this, so it will likely be a couple of days.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I have spent a lazy weekend of enjoyment! (minus my 36 hour headache anyway) Lunch with the fam on Saturday (my nephew was being very cuddly, too bad it was while he was coated in spaghetti sauce), video games pretty much all weekend, Breakfast with the family (minus bro who was at work) today then some shopping. Managed to get a full outfit for my Little Man, two shirts for me, a matchbox (also for little man) and a pop for 26 bucks! Oh, yeah, did a little writing too. Sebby seems to like this whole "getting back to paper" thing…

MN: Seriously, if it weren't for the fact that her arm injury a few years ago has had some lasting effects that slow us down, I would now be writing exclusively on paper! I love it! We are officially out of training at work now so this week may be rough so no guarantees on the next update.

* * *

As she shifted in her seat, JJ winced. She'd taken herself off the narcotics when she left the hospital, but the long flight had left her in enough pain to make her momentarily reconsider the decision. She pushed the thought from her mind as Spencer climbed into the driver's seat of her minivan. "Do you want me to stop and pick anything up?"

She shook her head. "I'm okay. Garcia insisted on restocking the fridge. And by that, I of course mean that she did it and _then_ told me about it."

She saw a small smile curve onto his face as he fastened his seatbelt. "That doesn't surprise me." He put the vehicle in gear and pulled out of the spot. "Do I need to go pick up Henry later?"

She leaned back into the seat slowly, trying not to jar her ribs. "No. Will's going to bring him home when he gets off shift this afternoon. I figured you would need to go in for paperwork after you got me home, and it's going to be at least a week before I can drive, so I asked him to drop Henry off.

Spencer nodded in understanding. "Okay. But, I don't have to go to the office. I finished my paperwork on the plane and Morgan offered to get it filed for me."

He had spent most of his evening camped out in her hospital room completing her paperwork. By the time she'd woken, all that was left was the addition of a few details and her signature.

"Good. I could use a nice quiet evening at home with my guys."

The remainder of their ride was spent in silence as she struggled to keep the evidence of her pain off her face and beyond the detection of the profiler in the vehicle with her.

They were met at the door to their house by Garcia. The woman aided her upstairs and through a shower before rewrapping her ribs and helping her don a fresh set of pajamas.

If the walk up the stairs was painful, the return trip bordered on excruciating. Her friend helped settle her onto the part of the sofa that reclined and got her feet up, then sat down a short distance away. "Dinner is in the oven so I'm going to stay and finish it and eat with you guys before I leave. I got some meals prepped for the rest of the weekend too. I know Boy Wonder isn't exactly Rachel Ray. This way he just has to nuke and you all still get real food."

"Thanks Garcie." She was relaxing her muscles slowly, allowing herself to sink into the cushions. "I don't know how to even _begin_ to pay you back for everything you've done in the last week."

Garcia grinned widely. "Easy. Let me hang out with Henry this weekend. More specifically, let me kidnap him and take him to the museum of his choice. I'm planning a whole day of it."

"If I say no, you'll just pout and use my child against me, so let's cut to the chase and I'll just say 'yes'." Had she been speaking to another of her friends, she would have accused them of going out of their way to make her life easier, but she knew that wasn't the case here. Garcia and Spencer both took her son on as many educational daytrips as they could.

"Good. I'm going to talk to Boss Man and see if Jack's available too." The perky woman sprung to her feet as Spencer walked into the room. "I'm going to go finish dinner." She flounced from the room in the direction of the kitchen.

Spencer crossed to her, a glass of water in his hand. He passed it to her, followed by a pair of prescription ibuprofen. She swallowed the pills then handed him back the glass. "Will's on his way. They should be here any minute."

As if on cue, she heard a car door slam. Spencer turned and exited the room. A moment later she heard him open the front door. Another moment passed and she heard her son's footsteps as he ran into the house.

Will's voice followed almost immediately. "Henry! No running inside. And what did I tell you about your mama?"

Even from a room away, she could hear the boy's sigh. "She falled down and hurted her side real bad so I has to be really careful and be extra good."

"That's right." Will's voice was getting louder. Obviously he was escorting their son in to see her.

A few seconds later, the pair appeared in the room and the boy walked over to her cautiously. "Hi, Mommy. I missed you."

"I missed you too." She patted the seat to her right, but he didn't move. "It's okay. My owwie is on the other side. You can sit over here as long as you don't move around a whole bunch.

Henry climbed up next to her carefully and she reached over to give him a half hug. The movement sent a stab of paid through her ribs, but she made sure not to let her son notice. When she released him, he grinned up at her and she smiled back.

"Why don't you go put your stuff away while I talk to your dad. Then you can go see if you can help Auntie Penny with dinner, okay?"

"Okay!" He crawled off the couch carefully then rushed over to his father, flinging himself into a hug. "Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Bud." The words were barely out of Will's mouth before the boy had snatched up his backpack and raced toward the stairs.

JJ watched him go then turned toward Will. "Thank you. For bringing him home and for talking to him about me being hurt."

Will sat in the chair across from her. "You're welcome. We had a long talk about him being careful, but if he gets to be too much, call me. I'm off this weekend and on first shift again next week, so it won't be a problem for me to take him."

"I appreciate the offer. I know we'll be okay for the weekend. Spence is going to be home and Garcia's planning a museum trip with Jack, but if the team gets called out of town next week, I'll probably have to take you up on that. I can't drive for a week or two so I won't be able to get him to school if I'm home alone." She relaxed a little as the pain in her side dulled with the onset of her dose of ibuprofen.

Will nodded. "Speaking of school, parent/teacher conferences are week after next. When do you want to schedule it for?"

She shrugged and immediately winced. "Do whatever will work best for your schedule that week. If I'm lucky, I'll be sitting at my desk by then. No way will I be cleared for fieldwork."

Will began to reply, then stopped to once again scold his son as the boy went tearing through the room. Once he'd disappeared into the kitchen, he once again looked at her. "So, do you want to tell me what happened in Oregon?"

When they'd spoken the previous evening, she'd been deliberately vague on the details. "We thought Blake, Hotch, and Morgan had the UnSub in custody, but it was actually his brother. Our guy managed to sneak up on us and came out right in front of me. Put six shots into the left half of my vest. When I went down, I cracked my head on a crate and hit the floor hard. Spence and Rossi each put three in him before he could decide to aim a little higher."

They sat in silence while Will absorbed the information. The quiet was broken when Spencer reentered the room. "Garcia says dinner is almost done and she wants to know if you're going to be more comfortable in here or the dining room."

"I can come to the dining room as long as you help me up." She knew she would probably be better off where she was, but she wanted to keep things as normal as possible for Henry's sake.

He stepped toward her and gently pushed the foot rest of the recliner down until it clicked into place. He carefully took her right arm in his hands and guided her to her feet

The action was painful despite his help and the stabbing feeling robbed her of her breath. As he tried to withdraw his hand, she clutched it tightly. "Give me a sec."

He stood dutifully at her side until she was able to steady herself. Once she had released him, he turned to Will. "I'm supposed to tell you that there's plenty of food and that you are welcome to join us for dinner."

JJ was impressed by how unemotionally he'd delivered the message. In the four weeks since Will's accusations, Spencer had made it clear to her that he was now very uncomfortable with his godson's father.

"Thanks, but I have plans. Pool league." Will stood and moved toward the door. "You want to walk me out so you can lock the door, Reid?"

Before she could object, her roommate was following him toward the entryway. She followed as far as the entrance to the kitchen, but paused in the doorway. A conversation between Will and Spencer at this point might need to be monitored, and from here, she could listen without being intrusive.

"What did they give her for the pain? Because it's obviously not enough." Great. He was going to pry into her medical care.

"She started alternating high doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen once she left the hospital. She didn't want to come home on narcotics."

Will's voice turned harsh. "You mean she didn't want to come home on narcotics _with you_. Not enough that you got her shot, she's passing on painkillers for you."

Furious, JJ shuffled toward them as quickly as she could as Spencer tried to reply. "I didn't tell her not to…"

As she crossed into the foyer, she interrupted him, her glare trained on Will. "Let me make two things crystal clear for you. Spence didn't 'get me shot', he saved my life. And my decision about the painkillers was my own, and not for him. I don't want to be loopy constantly, especially around Henry. I'm getting really tired of you treating him like crap when he's never been anything but polite and helpful to you. Get out of our home.

Will stood frozen in shock for a moment, then stormed through the open door.

Spencer closed and locked it then turned toward her. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

She offered him a soft smile. "All I did was tell him the truth. Now, let's go eat. I'm starving."

* * *

AN: Holy cow, that was WAY longer than we thought it was going to be! Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I know I keep making you guys wait. Sorry. Last weekend was a wash for writing because I was too busy having a "real" life. Got to go visit my "little sister" in the city (here, that means Chicago). Then, instead of me taking the train home, my friend picked me up at her house and brought me home Saturday evening and I spent Saturday night and all day Sunday hanging out with him. Then I had one HELL of a week at work (the kind of week where the water main to the building busts and you spend a day using port-a-potties and having to leave work for lunch, which is only 30 minutes, because you didn't bring anything). Today, however, has been productive. Helped my mother get nearly 100 free books plus really nice calculators for her classroom then went shopping for all of the things I need for my new office at work. So now, I have the time to allow Sebby to write!

MN: What? Huh? Wait, she's letting me out of my cage? Score!

* * *

JJ smiled as she heard the front door open. Spencer was officially home, which meant Garcia wouldn't be returning that evening. She loved the other woman dearly, but, after a week of being fawned over, she was looking forward to the quieter mannerisms of her roommate.

"Jayje?"

"I'm in the kitchen." She heard his bags connect with the floor then footsteps through the house before he arrived in the room. "You hungry? I was making a sandwich."

He shook his head but stepped next to her at the counter. "Morgan and I stopped on the way home, but let me take care of that for you."

He reached for her plate but she scooted it away from him and shot him a mild glare as she reached for the peanut butter. "I'm fine, Spence. The doctor cleared me for sandwich making on Friday. I'm hoping when I go back today I'll get the okay to drive and to go back to work. My desk has to be buried three feet deep by now under open case files."

His ears and cheeks flushed and she sighed. "That's why you're just getting home even though you landed at dawn, isn't it? You and Morgan teamed up with Garcia behind my back and cleared my desk, didn't you?"

The color on his face deepened. "Well, it's not _clear_. But Garcia had sorted them out while we were gone so we each took a stack of the ones that only needed quick consults. Hotch, Rossi, and Blake all helped too."

She looped her eyes as she finished assembling her lunch. "You guys shouldn't have done that! I'll be back tomorrow."

His eyes were now locked on the toes of his shoes. "We didn't want you to come back to a mess. It was Rossi's idea. Be mad at him!"

She took her plate to the small kitchen table and eased into a chair. "I'm not mad, Spence. I'm just tired of feeling like a burden on everyone. It's bad enough everyone's had to help out with my day to day life and Henry for the last week and a half, but now you all did my job instead of just getting home after a week stuck at a hotel."

Spencer shrugged as he dropped into the chair next to her. "We _wanted_ to do it. It goes back to that whole conversation we had about you always taking care of the rest of us. We care about you just as much as you care about us, so we want to do it."

As she swallowed a bite of her sandwich, JJ sighed in defeat. "Alright. I'll give you this one, okay?"

Her acquiescence caused his face to light up. "Good. So what time is your appointment?"

"Two thirty. Hopefully we can get in, get me cleared to drive, and get out so I can drop you off back here before I have to go to parent/teacher conferences at five. I don't want you to be bored waiting around for me to get done." She took another bite of her lunch.

"Okay. But if we can't, it's okay. I'll bring a book or two." He reached over and took a chip from her plate and stuck it in his mouth.

She smiled at his less than subtle snatching of part of her lunch. She had a feeling he would end up eating more of the chips than she would. "You sure two will be enough?"

He looped his eyes exaggeratedly. "Yes. Oh! Hotch wanted me to ask you if we wanted to meet up with everyone for dinner tonight at around six or six thirty. Jack kept asking about seeing Henry all week when they talked. Everyone else already said they were up for it."

"Sounds good to me. I'll give Garcia a call to work out the details because we both know she'll take care of rounding everyone else up." JJ grabbed her cellphone just as it began ringing.

Spencer grinned when he recognized the ringtone. "I didn't tell her I was stopping for lunch. She probably expected me to be home half an hour ago."

JJ rolled her eyes and slid the button to answer the call. "Hey Garcie!"

* * *

JJ sighed for what was probably the twentieth time in the last couple of hours. The doctor's office had been running behind, then there had been an issue with her first set of x-rays and they had needed to take a second set. To add to the situation, a 12 car pile-up had resulted in what should have been a thirty minute drive taking almost sixty. Now it was one minute past five and they were just pulling into the parking lot at Henry's school.

As soon as Spencer shifted into park she had her seatbelt undone. Unfortunately, moving around for the proper positioning for x-rays and then prodding by the doctor had inflamed her ribs enough to once again slow her down. By the time she managed to get the door open, he had the key out of the ignition and had rounded the front of the vehicle. She accepted his hand for help and slid out.

She rushed through the doors and into the school as quickly as she could, but Spencer remained a step ahead of her. When they got to the door to Henry's classroom, he opened it for her, but waited in the hall.

When she entered, Will and Henry were already sitting at a round table with Henry's teacher, Mr. Weldon. The three all looked to her as she crossed the room. "I am so sorry that I'm late. It's been one of those afternoons."

She took the seat between her son and his teacher as the man spoke. "Not a problem. That crash has been on the news for an hour. I'm surprised you managed to make it at all."

JJ relaxed a little, relieved at his understanding. "It helps when the driver has FBI training."

"I'm sure it does." He looked around. "Shall we begin?" He waited for the adults to nod in response before opening the folder that sat before him. "I have to tell you both that I really enjoy having Henry in my class. He's probably the most well behaved Pre-K student I've ever had, which is impressive for a full day program. His manners are impeccable and he is a great role model for the other kids."

JJ couldn't help the smile that spread on her face. "Well I'm glad he behaves the same way at school that he is expected to at home."

Mr. Weldon nodded. "You have nothing to worry about there. Now as for academics, he is well ahead of the curve. If his performance continues, I am going to recommend him for the district's magnet program and ask that he be placed in the advanced academics school. Sometimes I really feel like what we do here is beneath him. And his vocabulary is was above grade level. May I ask which one of you it is that spends so much time reading with him?"

"Uncle Spence reads with me all the time when he and Mommy are home." JJ hadn't even thought her son was paying attention as he colored a picture next to her.

The teacher looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Henry's godfather rents our basement apartment. They spend a lot of time together when we're not out of town."

"He's really good with Henry. And when your godfather has a genius IQ, some of it rubs off." JJ was surprised at Will's praise of the man he kept making rather personal attacks against in private.

"Well whatever he's doing, tell him to keep it up. Now, if it's alright with you, I'd like to start sending Henry over to the Kindergarten room next door for reading and writing lessons every day. He's more than ready for it and it will give him a head start for next year." The teacher again waited for affirmation from the parents before him before again moving on. "I'll get everything set up then send a form home for you both to sign. I already asked, and, if you are out of state, Ms. Jareau, we can fax it to you and accept a faxed copy with your signature until you return. Now, Henry, should we show your mom and dad around?"

* * *

AN: A little shorter than they've been but a good place to stop for tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Two chapters in one week?! How excited is Bastian?

MN: The answer is: VERY! Enough Chit-chat more tat-a-tat.

_For Annber03 by special request._

* * *

JJ tried not to wince as she relaxed back into her chair. Her ribs were still aching from her afternoon of being poked, prodded, and twisted, but she was having far too good of a time to suggest leaving. The team had chosen to meet up at their collective favorite pizza place. It was family owned and had been for nearly a hundred years. The décor was nearly all wood and local artifacts and newspaper clippings, and it sported an arcade where the games cost just a nickel each, just enough to cover their own costs of maintenance.

At the moment she was sitting at the large booth they nearly always claimed when they dined at this particular restaurant. Blake, Rossi, and Hotch were all with her, while Morgan, Garcia, and Spencer were having a blast with Henry and Jack in the game room a few yards away. Blake and Rossi were enthralled in a deep debate about something, but she wasn't quite sure what as it had started while she was giving her son and Jack a quick lecture about behaving themselves before they went to play.

Despite her effort, her boss noticed her discomfort. "I thought you weren't having much in the way of trouble with pain anymore? Are you sure you should come back tomorrow?"

Now she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm sure. Unless you plan on twisting my torso like a pretzel then repeatedly poking me in the ribs, I'll be fine."

He stared at her for a moment, no doubt analyzing her for any signs of falsehood before relaxing his own posture. "Alright. So, how are things going with Will? I heard that you two got into it again over Reid before we left last week."

JJ sighed heavily. "I am completely lost as to what to do at this point. He treats Spencer like hell to his face, then compliments him behind his back to Henry's teacher. I seriously think that Will's problem isn't with him being around Henry, but with him being around me. He's accused him of pushing me to move out, trying to steal his son, and getting me shot then said how wonderful he is as a godfather."

She could visibly see him make the shift from friend to profiler. "So, do you think he actually thinks Reid had something to do with your marriage ending, is he just still upset that it _did_ end, or is it possible that he's under the impression that something is going on between the two of you other than friendship now and he's just plain jealous?"

She shrugged and sighed once again. "I don't know. A little bit of everything maybe?"

Hotch took a long sip of his iced tea while he considered his words. "Have you thought about just asking him?"

With her glass halfway from the table to her mouth, she froze for a moment, then slowly lowered the drink back to its starting point. "I guess that never even crossed my mind. I'll try it."

He opened his mouth to say something further, but their sons chose that moment to reappear at the table, Jack tugging on her shirt sleeve gently. "Aunt JJ, Uncle Morgan isn't giving us a turn for the car game. Can you make him share, please? He listens to you!"

She forced herself not to chuckle aloud as she moved to slide from the booth. "Well, not sharing is very rude. Come on, let's go tell him together."

She let the boys lead her to the game room, where Morgan was busy playing a racing game while Spencer was dueling Garcia in a game of air hockey. She waited for his current race to be over, but reached out to block him as he attempted to insert another coin.

"What the hell, Blondie?"

The boys beside her both gasped and she rolled her eyes. "Language! And Jack and Henry tell me that you are having trouble remembering the rules about sharing. They both want to take a turn on the game and you aren't being very nice."

"Yeah, you is being mean, Uncle Morgan!" Henry's deliberately stern look was adorable and seemed to properly shame her colleague.

He stood from the game and scooted the seat forward so that the boys would be able to reach the controls. "Sorry. You guys are right. I wasn't being a good friend."

Jack inserted a nickel into the slot as Henry climbed onto the seat. "We forgive you. But you better be careful. Dad says after one warning you get a timeout. And it's a minute for every year old you are so you'd be in timeout for a really long time!"

JJ spun away to hide her laughter as Morgan's face dropped. Despite their crazy lives, she and Hotch had to be doing _something_ right if their sons could put a grown man in his place so easily.

* * *

JJ opened the door to her house then stepped back to allow Spencer to enter ahead of her. He was carrying Henry in his arms and the boy was fast asleep. It was only just now approaching bedtime, but a couple of hours of playing with his cousin, aunts, and uncles had worn him out. She stepped in behind her roommate and deactivated the beeping security system. "Would you take him upstairs for me? I'll be right up."

He nodded in agreement and headed for the stairs as she turned. She closed and locked the door then reactivated the alarm. After double checking the back door and turning off the lights Spencer wouldn't need to get to the door in the kitchen, she made her way up to her son's bedroom.

By the time she entered Henry's room, his godfather was pulling his pajama top over his head and the boy was blinking sleepily at her. "Go potty and brush your teeth and we'll get you tucked in, okay?"

He nodded in agreement and walked through the door to the adjoining bathroom in a daze and she turned to Spencer. "Thanks for getting him changed. And carrying him in. And keeping him occupied at the restaurant."

He smiled at her. "You don't have to thank me, but you're welcome. I really love getting to spend so much time with him."

When he returned, they tucked Henry in together then exited his room and stepped away from the door. She kept her voice low when she spoke, even though she was fairly sure her son was already sleeping once again. "I'm going call it an early night. My ribs are still sore and I just want to lie down. You're welcome to come watch TV with me if you want. You can tell me about the case."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. I want to go down and change first though. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As he rushed down the stairs, she walked to her bedroom. Carefully, she changed from her clothes into her pajamas, adding a pair of shorts since he would be rejoining her. She reopened her bedroom door before going into the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she was drying her hands, she heard the TV click on and when she crossed through the doorway, Spencer was stretched out on her bed, using the remote to scroll through the channel guide.

She rounded the bed and plugged her cellphone in, setting it on her nightstand then set her alarm before gingerly settling herself into bed. It took her several long moments of fidgeting to find a position that didn't cause her ribs to throb. When she finally stopped moving, her roommate looked over at her. "Is Big Bang okay? There's not really much on that's worth watching since you're not a fan of the science channel."

She nodded. "Sure, as long as you're not going to point out all of the inaccuracies this time."

The look on his face crossed to slightly hurt for an instant before he saw the teasing grin that was spreading on her face and decided to tease back. "What? If they're going to make a show about physicists, they should use real physics!"

JJ pulled the pillow out from under her head and whacked him with it then returned it to its supportive position. They both laughed for a moment before focusing in on the TV. When the station changed to a commercial break, she looked once again over at her roommate. "So, tell me about the case."

Over the course of the next hour, he slowly filled her in on the details between segments of the show. All in all, though they had been gone for a full week, the investigation had been fairly uneventful. What was most important to her was that at no time had a member of her team been in imminent danger without her there to help. She knew the thought was ridiculous because they always had one another's backs, but she couldn't help feeling responsible for her teammates.

When the back to back episodes of the show were over, they scanned through the guide again before settling on The Blind Side and lapsing into silence.

* * *

AN: Tah-dah. And done after a crap day at work too. We seem to take inspiration from being frustrated to the extreme!


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Nothing scheduled for this weekend save for possibly spending a couple hours helping my mother out in her classroom so I have deemed it a writing weekend!

MN: I think I died and went to heaven! Another time jump in this chapter because I have two ideas and I want to write both today.

* * *

"What's wrong, Peaches?"

Garcia's question brought her crashing back to reality and she looked over the table at her friend. "Nothing's wrong."

The tech snorted out a laugh. "Bull. You've eaten about two bites of that potpie you're mutilating and you usually love it."

JJ looked down at her plate. Sure enough, her favorite comfort food sat before her, now nearly unrecognizable. She sighed and set down her spoon.

"I know that sigh. That's your 'Will' sigh. Spill." Garcia pushed her own plate aside to emphasize her point.

They stared at each other for a moment before she gave in. "Will thinks I left him for Spencer."

Garcia's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. "What!?"

She sighed again. She was going to have to tell the whole story. "Last week when we all went to dinner I was talking to Hotch about the way Will has been treating Spence and he recommended that I discuss with Will like adults. So I got him to meet me for lunch Saturday while Henry was at Jack's soccer game."

Garcia nodded but said nothing, so she continued. "So, I just came flat out and asked him what his problem was. And he said that he 'didn't appreciate me lying to him'."

"Pump your brakes. I'm lost." Garcia looked just as confused as she sounded.

JJ nodded. "So was I. So I told him to explain. Get this: he thought I slept with Spence when I was going over there so much after Maeve died. _And, _he thinks that that's why I left him."

Her friend gaped at her a moment before managing to form coherent words. "You? He thought _you_, of all people, cheated on him? Does he seriously not know you at all?"

"That's pretty much what I thought. Apparently he was under the impression that Spence and I moved in together, like as a couple, despite all evidence to the contrary. So he's pissed about that, but he knows how great Spence is with Henry so he said that confliction is what was causing his crazy behavior." She fidgeted with her napkin in her lap as she explained.

"So what did you say?" She could see the anger burning behind Garcia's eyes now.

"I set him straight, and I told him that the accusation was insulting. _Then_ I told him he owed Spencer an apology and I left. I just can't believe he thought that I'd cheat on him. And with Spence of all people!"

Garcia nodded. "Agreed. Although, I can kinda see where he might think something was going on between you two _now_."

JJ's eyes snapped up to rest on her friend's face. "What?"

Garcia looped her eyes. "Everyone knows that Boy Wonder has always been smitten with you. And now that you two are spending so much time together, I could see where a reasonable person on the outside _might_ think that there was something going on."

She shook her head in confusion. "You know, I don't even want to ask what you're talking about. Spence and I have never been anything but friends. Can we _please_ talk about something else? Like about the fact that you and Morgan need to get it on already?"

Garcia shot her a glare. "Point taken. Mouth shutting. We should probably head back to the office anyway."

* * *

As she unstrapped her vest, JJ rubbed her side. She had been cleared for fieldwork, but the pressure of the Kevlar combined with the way she had twisted taking their suspect down had made her side a little tender. It was nothing a hot shower and a couple of ibuprofen wouldn't clear up though. Movement caught her eye and she turned at Morgan approached the police cruiser next to her, the cuffed unsub led before him.

She turned back to the SUV and placed her vest inside then turned back to locate Hotch. She wanted to let him know she was leaving. She generally tried to beat the suspect to the station once captured so she could wrangle the media. As she moved to pass Morgan and the unsub, the man suddenly lunged forward, lowering his shoulder. He connected with her before her teammate could stop him and she was successfully knocked from her feet. She landed hard on the gravel and cursed audibly as her side connected with the ground.

The sudden stab of pain made her vision swim. In the few seconds it took her to catch her breath, Mogan had the unsub on the ground a few feet from her, his nose bloody and the agent's knee in his back. Spencer and Rossi were at her side a moment later.

She tried to wave them off, but they insisted on helping her up. By the time she was back on her feet and dusted off, Hotch had come over. With his help Morgan had the unsub in the patrol car and they both came over to check on her as well.

"I'm fine guys. Really. Just winded me a little." She smoothed down her shirt. "I really need to get back to the station."

Hotch stared her down for a moment before nodding. "Reid, take her back. Make sure no one talks to our suspect before Blake gets there."

The team dispersed and JJ turned to the SUV. Ordinarily she would have protested being escorted back, but she was in significantly more pain than she was letting on. She obediently climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

They were halfway back to the station before her roommate broke the silence. "How bad is it, really? Do you think it's just inflammation or are they re-cracked?"

She almost laughed at that. She had been able to bullshit three of the best profilers in the FBI, but the usually clueless Spencer Reid is the one that had seen through the tough façade. "I'm pretty sure it's just inflammation, maybe some new bruising. If I wake up tomorrow and even remotely think that they're broken, I will let you take me to the hospital. But for now, please don't tell the others."

"Okay." He fell silent again as they pulled into the lot of the police station.

* * *

She wasn't surprised when the knock came on the door of her hotel room. She had been expecting it after what had happened earlier that day. She crossed the room and peered through the peephole, confirming her suspicions before unlocking the door and opening it. She stepped back to let him enter then closed and relocked the door.

When she turned he was standing by the window, looking out through the small gap in the curtains as he addressed her. "He confessed. Just after you left. Hotch is still filing the charges for assaulting a federal agent as a formality but he doesn't think it will go as far as being prosecuted with the nine counts of murder pretty much guaranteeing a life sentence."

JJ sat down on the foot of her bed. "Good. I'll call a press conference in the morning once we've all had some sleep. Who finally broke him?"

Spencer pulled the edges of the curtains together and turned toward her. "Blake, just like I predicted. He couldn't handle being confronted by a strong alpha female personality. Did you call Henry?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Caught him just before bedtime. I'm supposed to tell you that he misses you and that he made you something at school today."

That made him smile and he crossed the room to sit next to her. "I'm glad we'll be home tomorrow. I miss him."

She patted his knee in sympathy. The team had only been home for twenty-two hours between their previous case and this one so it had been nearly two weeks since he had seen his godson. "I know. Hopefully we'll get a couple days of downtime before we have to go out again."

His smile waivered. "_If_ you go out on the next one with his. How are you feeling?"

His concern for her was endearing. "I'm fine Spence. I took a hot shower and some ibuprofen and I feel a lot better. There's some bruising showing up, but nothing too major. Is the team meeting for dinner?"

He shook his head. "Blake and Hotch are still at the station. Rossi and Morgan were at the hospital with the last victim last I knew. I could go get us something."

"We could just order a pizza and watch a movie. After this week, I'm ready to just relax." While the pain had ebbed it had been replaced with a bone-deep exhaustion.

"Sounds good. You want to call it in while I go take a shower? I can still smell whatever it was that was burning on the stove at the unsub's house on my clothes." He crinkled his nose to accent his point.

She laughed and nodded. "I think I can handle it. Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom?"

He nodded as he stood. "You know it. I'll be back soon."

* * *

AN: I know this is a little shorter than normal but I have a whole nother bit in my mind and that would make it too long so I'm gonna stop here and start on Chapter 13 soon.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: This is meant to pick up right where 13 left off. My night has taken a turn for the worse since I finished that so this could get a little emotional at bits, though I will try to avoid that. Also, there is another midchapter time jump here.

MN: I wrote the last one, I call not it on this.

When Spencer returned to her room his hair was damp and he was wearing cotton pants and a t-shirt. She had ordered their pizza and, when he had knocked, she was channel surfing for something decent to watch. He had joined her on the bed and together they had decided on Braveheart, which was going to be starting in a few minutes.

When the front desk called that their pizza had arrived, it was Spencer who went down to get it. As he returned, their movie was starting. They sat together watching it as they ate their pizza. On the first commercial break after they were done eating, she got up to brush her teeth. While she was in the bathroom, he cleaned up from their dinner.

When she returned to the bed, he had already repositioned himself. Ever since the night a few weeks ago when the team had gone out for dinner, they had started making it a habit to watch a movie together in bed when they were home. Most nights she would fall asleep and he would turn off the TV and leave, but on a few occasions, he had dozed off and spent the night sleeping beside her.

She laid on her right side to keep the pressure off her tender ribs while he stretched out on his back, propped up on pillows. They had just gotten settled when the commercial break ended and the movie resumed. JJ was asleep before the next break.  
"Mommy! Come see what we did!" Henry had met her at the front door and her keys were barely out of her hand before her son had hold of it, dragging her through the house.

She couldn't help but laugh as she entered the living room. The furniture had been pushed back and the couch cushions had been arranged into a large platform on the floor and draped with sheets. "What is all this?"

"We are gonna have a campout in here and watch movies and stay up late and sleep in here!" Her son was bubbling with energy as his godfather appeared in the room.

"I told you we had to ask your mom permission, Henry." She could tell he was sure she would agree as he carried his pillows in his hands.

"I forgotted. Mommy, can we please have a sleepover in the livingroom? All three of us?" Her son's face smiling up at her would have convinced her if she hadn't already decided it was a good idea.

"I think it sounds like fun. Have you spent all day getting this ready?" She had spent most of the day out with Garcia and Blake, having some girl time and doing some early holiday shopping and giving Spencer some much desired time with her son.

"No. We went to Jack's soccer game and he scored four goals! And then Uncle Dave took us all out for lunch. And _then_ we came home and we was playing outside until it started to rain. When we were playing dinosaurs is when I thought about having an inside campout!" The boy's energy was infectious.

"Wow. That sounds like a pretty great day. Did you guys plan dinner for this inside campout?" She laughed again as the boy took her hand and dragged her toward the kitchen.

"Of course. We made hotdogs and beans and salad and we went to the store and got the stuffs to make s'mores in the fireplace." He led her to the kitchen table and pulled out her usual chair for her as Spencer followed them in.

"Sounds like you guys thought of everything. This is going to be the best inside campout ever!"

After they had eaten, they had all gone to change into their pajamas. Despite the fact that they were planning to make s'mores, JJ still insisted that her son brush his teeth before going back downstairs.

They had started their movie marathon with How To Train Your Dragon of course, since it was Henry's favorite. They had made s'mores before starting Wreck It Ralph (Spencer's choice) and now, barely twenty minutes into Lilo and Stitch (her decision), Henry was fast asleep between herself and Spencer.

She looked across at her roommate and smiled, keeping her voice low. "Thanks. This was a great idea."

He grinned back. "Thank Henry. It was all his idea. I just helped. I'm glad we got to stand down for the weekend." His face turned serious suddenly. "Are you going to be okay sleeping down here with your ribs?"

"They're fine. The bruise is gone and they barely hurt at all anymore. And I took some ibuprofen upstairs just in case." She reached over her son to squeeze her best friend's arm. "But thanks for taking care of me. You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

His cheeks flushed at the compliment. "I'm just trying to do for you what you do for everyone else. You're the amazing one."

Henry shifted between them and she withdrew her hand and pressed her finger to her lips. He responded with a nod and they both turned back to the movie.

JJ bit back a sigh. They had almost managed a full week at home before she had walked into the briefing that morning. There were no pressing cases taking them out of town this time, but that wasn't the only thing the BAU was responsible for handling.

Hotch passed files out around the table. "Blake and Rossi, you're going to be teaching classes to NYPD next week. They want you there Friday to go over scheduling with the liaison at the department so you have today and part of tomorrow to work on your presentation before you leave. I've arranged an SUV for you. Morgan, you are going to be consulting with the local PD in Conway, Arkansas via phone and internet. You'll have Garcia at your disposal. I'm going to handle the stack of open cases that need simple consults as well as any new files that come in."

"JJ and Reid, you two will be leaving tonight on the jet for Colorado. You have a custodial to perform at Florence ADX. He hasn't responded well to interview attempts in the past with myself or Rossi. I'm hoping sending the two of you will make him feel unthreatened and we might be able to get a full list of victims out of him. We've gotten you authorized to be there for up to a week. Take the rest of the day off to pack and have dinner with Henry. You're wheels up at nine tonight."

With that he shoved back from the table and stood, signaling the end of the meeting. The group dispersed quickly, leaving JJ and Spencer alone in the briefing room. As she gathered up her files, he shoved his hastily into his bag. "I'm going to stop by Garcia's office and ask her to get everything she can find on the guy we're going to interview together for us. I'll meet you at your office and we can head out, okay?

She forced a smile. "Sure. It shouldn't take me long to be ready to go."

She walked with him into the bullpen. As he turned to his desk, she exited to go to her office. She was surprised to find Hotch waiting for her inside. "Hey. You here for my open case files? It's going to take me a few minutes to get them organized."

He put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you. We've been gone a lot lately. I know you were home for a few weeks after you got shot, but you were still working the hours that we were trying to help us. I took a look and you have a lot of vacation time built up. I think you should think about taking some. Spend a week or two at home. Have dinner with Henry every night. Read a book just for fun. Detox from the job a little."

JJ sighed and rounded her desk. "I don't like sitting around at home, you know that. And with Henry in school I can't go visit my parents. I've already got a few days scheduled at Thanksgiving and a week at Christmas."

Hotch rolled his eyes as he plopped himself into the chair opposite her. "That accounts for seven days. You have twenty left for the year. The new section chief is on me about making sure people take their vacation time and you and Reid are the top offenders on my list. Hell, why don't you take a week and just hang out with him? Maybe with the two of you gone I can pry Rossi out of his office and to his cabin. The only people around here I can seem to get to take time off are Blake and Morgan."

Now it was her turn to loop her eyes as she stacked files on her desk into a single neat pile. "Oh, and you take _all_ of your vacation time? I'm calling B.S. on that one."

Her boss shook his head. "JJ, this really isn't optional. Everyone has to get down to five days of unused time before the end of the year, no exceptions. Figure out when you want to take yours while you're gone and let me know by the end of next week. And help me out with Reid."

She sighed again loudly. "Fine. I'll figure something out."

He stood and she handed him the stack of folder. "Thank you. Have a good trip."

AN: What do you guys want to see for the vacations? Any requests?


	15. Chapter 15

AN: So, something a little odd happened. We were writing this chapter (all Sebastian's doing) when he suddenly got stuck and BAM! I got an idea. So as we start typing this, it is only half written, but so is the next chapter.

MN: It's not my fault I'm stuck! I'm brain dead. Had to read, interpret, and explain **way** too many Medicare Coordination of Benefits claims today. And if you think it sounds complicated, it's worse!

* * *

JJ dropped her bag on the floor and flopped down on one of the two queen beds in the room. She was glad she had opted to travel in reasonably comfortable clothing. At this point, she highly doubted she possessed the energy to change.

The bathroom door opened and Spencer emerged, now dressed in pajamas himself. She listened as he moved through the room, carefully unpacking his bag. When she heard him approach her bed, she forced her eyes open. He was reaching for her bag. "Leave it. I'll do it when we get up. I just want to sleep now."

He ignored her order to leave the bag be, lifting it and setting it on top of the dresser. "It's not a big deal. I need to wind down to be able to sleep."

She was too tired to argue with him, but somehow mustered the energy necessary to climb under the blanket. She listened again as he moved around the room. Within a few minutes she heard the tone of her cell phone being plugged in to the charger, and his followed a couple moments later. He clicked off the light, plunging her into complete darkness. As she drifted off, she vaguely registered the creak of the mattress on the other bed.

"I don't know when I'll be home. It won't be for at least a couple more days." She was leaning against their rental car, her phone pressed to her ear. Thanks to the time difference, Henry was getting ready for bed while she was barely wrapping up her work day.

As her son babbled about his day, her partner approached and she found a place to interrupt him. "Hey, do you want to talk to Uncle Spence? He just came outside."

She had to yank the phone from her ear as he screeched in affirmation. She stuck her hand out toward her roommate. "Your godson would like to say goodnight. Be warned, his volume level just went from normal to blaring at the mention of your name."

With a grin he accepted the phone, bringing it dangerously close to his ear. "Hey Bud! How was your day?" He listened raptly as the boy filled him in. After a few minutes his face fell, but he kept his tone light. "Your dad's right. It's bedtime…I love you too, Henry. Here's your mom."

He passed her back the phone and she mouthed her thanks as she brought it back to her head. "Hi Baby. You be a good boy and go to sleep now, okay?"

"Okay. I love you Mommy."

She choked back the tightening in her chest that nearly always accompanied these calls. "I love you too. Put your dad back on for me, okay?"

After a few moments of fumbling, Will's voice came back on the line. "You going to be able to call him again tomorrow?"

She heard the lock click in the door behind her and turned to open it. "I don't see why not. We only have access at the prison from after breakfast until just before dinner. For once I'll be able to talk to him every night while I'm gone."

"Okay. I was asking because I've got to work grave tomorrow. Garcia is taking him to your place, so call her. I'll let her know to expect it."

With a bare minimum of additional pleasantries, they disconnected, just as Spencer started the engine. "So, what do you want to do for dinner?"

She had to laugh. After nearly twelve hours interviewing a serial killer, his first thought was of food. "Want to try out the place next to the gas station we stopped at for coffee this morning? Italian sounds good to me and I liked the look of it. I bet it's…cozy."

He grinned at her, obviously suppressing a laugh of his own. "Cozy it is then."

* * *

Her prediction had been spot on. The restaurant was both cozy and delicious. For a while, nestled in a small u-shaped booth at the back, she and Spencer had managed to get work off their minds. They joked and laughed while they shared food back and forth and savored a glass of wine each.

Full to the brim, JJ leaned back, glass in hand. The lapse in conversation allowed her to shift the focus from their light chatting to something more serious. "So, Hotch asked me to talk to you."

His smile faded and he leaned back as well, one outstretch arm remaining on the table to fidget with his water glass. "That doesn't exactly sound good."

"It's not bad." She finished the last sip of her wine and returned the glass to the table. "He's getting heat about our unused leave days. We have to take all but five before New Year's."

He looked at her a moment before shrugging. "I _have_ always wanted to take myself around historic DC in fall." His voice quieted. "And My mom's been talking about visiting."

That truly surprised her. "She's willing to fly to DC?"

He shrugged again. "She's been considering it, but only on the condition that I fly out to travel with her. But, I told her I had to talk to you about it before I could say yes."

She reached over to squeeze his arm. "I'd love for her to come visit. You don't get to spend enough time with her. And you don't _ever_ have to clear that through me. She's family. She's always welcome."

He brought his hand up to rest on the one that still sat against his arm. "Thanks Jayje."

Their waiter reappeared and began stacking plate to clear away. "Any dessert for you folks tonight? We have a wonderful cassata that is meant to be shared."

Spencer looked over at her with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes and she laughed. "Fine, but don't expect me to help you eat it!"

She looked back to the waiter. "The bottomless pit over there would like the cassata please. And when you bring the check, can you put that and the wine on a separate bill?" While the FBI covered their dining costs while on the road, they wouldn't foot the bill for the alcohol or dessert.

"Sure thing. Did you want another glass of wine to go with that? Or some coffee?" He began hoisting empty dishes into his arms with the ease of an experience server.

"Not for me thanks." She looked at her teammate and he shook his head.

"No, thank you." She was a little surprised he hadn't opted for the coffee.

"Alright, I'll be right back with the cassata and some more water."

* * *

"I have to admit, this is probably the best time I've ever had with an assignment for a custodial." The grin he wore matched the one on her own face as they walked down the hall toward their hotel room.

"Well, I haven't exactly been on a whole lot of them, but I'm enjoying this one more than the one where I had to share a cramped room in a dingy motel with a very jetlagged David Rossi." They laughed together as he fished the keycard from his pocket.

"Hotch isn't allowed to send Rossi and I out alone together unless he books us separate rooms. The last time we had to bunk together the hotel got enough complaints about the loud cursing in Italian that the manager called Strauss." He pushed the door open and allowed her to step through first.

She set the binder in her hand down on the desk then went to sit on the edge of her bed to slide her shoes off. "I knew there had to be a reason. There's also a certain hotel chain that won't allow us to book you and Morgan into a room together. _That_ letter came across _my_ desk."

He grinned guiltily. "Hey, we cleaned up almost all of it! The glitter just couldn't be done without a vacuum. There was no permanent damage. And besides, he started it. I'm just the better prankster."

She looped her eyes, but couldn't force the grin from her face. "The two of you are really just a pair of overgrown children."

He pointed a finger out at her accusingly. "Oh, no. I'm pretty sure it was you and Emily who got caught flinging rubber bands at each other during that seminar on appropriate office behavior. And you and Garcia were busted passing notes commentating on the physical attractiveness of the rear end of the facilitator of the sexual harassment refresher last year."

She was now laughing so hard that tears streamed from her eyes. "Okay, so we all have our immature moments. But with our jobs, I'm pretty sure we deserve them."

He nodded in agreement as he toed off his own shoes then flopped down on his bed. "I think we do. Plus, some of us weren't able to fully enjoy our adolescence and, therefore, have lost time to make up for."

She laughed even harder and it was a full minute before she was able to speak again. "Spence, do you realize you just used logic to justify illogical behavior?"

He simply grinned at her and shrugged in response.

* * *

AN: Half the next chapter is already written. Goal is up by Thursday so I can work on one for 'Freedom'.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Don't know when you'll get another chapter. Combination of things going on in town this weekend and my back killing me so between garage sales I may be forming a deeper relationship with my heating pad

MN: This one is actually all AJ's. I don't know where it came from.

* * *

Normally she would have taken the time to properly stow her bag, but with only two other passengers joining her, JJ didn't bother. They had been ready to leave much earlier in the day, but had been asked to wait until that evening so another agent could hitch a ride with them.

She dropped her bag at the table usually occupied by Rossi and Blake then went to the cockpit to let the pilot know they would be ready to leave soon. They had been notified that their tag along was through the gate at the airstrip and Spencer was waiting for him outside the plane.

When she reemerged from the cockpit, he was sealing the plane's door. She stuck her head back through the door to the cockpit and updated the pilot before closing it securely. She followed her teammate down the aisle.

As they paused for him to drop his bag next to hers, her gaze fell on the other agent. Great. Now, in addition to costing her an additional night of tucking her son in, he was sitting in her usual seat.

Spencer sat across from the man and she slid in next to him, fastening her seatbelt as the Gulfstream's engines came to life.

"Logan Stockwell. Thanks for the ride." Despite their imminent takeoff, his hand was stretched across the table.

Her manners won out over her agitation and she shook it. "Jennifer Jareau. And thank our section chief. Apparently he owed yours a favor."

He grinned at her. "Well, now I owe the BAU one."

* * *

They were just under halfway through their flight when she decided to take a break from writing her report. She stood and stretched before moving toward the kitchenette. As she passed the long couch, she paused to retrieve Spencer's blanket from the floor and draped it back over him. She removed the book from his chest and placed it on the end table then proceeded to the fridge. She grabbed a pair of bottles of water and returned to her seat, placing one before Stockwell.

He looked up from his own paperwork and smiled. "Thanks." He set his pen down, exchanging it for the water bottle. He opened it and took a long sip as she did the same.

He seemed to see the drink as an invitation to chat. "Your boy looks just like you."

She and Spencer had Skyped with Henry shortly after takeoff. Stockwell's comment made her smile. "He's the spitting image of my father, at least until he gets mad. Then he's all Cajun fire like his dad. Good thing he's got a mild temperament or he and I would butt heads."

He leaned back in his seat. "How long have you and the Louisiana Accent been split?"

"About six months. The divorce isn't final yet. I have a feeling that he won't sign that as easily as he did the custody agreement." She pulled up her feet so that she was curled comfortably in the seat.

"He didn't exactly sound thrilled to see Reid on the screen with you. I take it there is some animosity there?" He glanced over her shoulder toward the plane's third passenger.

"The last year before we split up was bad for the BAU, Spence in particular. Trying to balance being there for the team and being at home didn't work for Will. He made me choose and I chose them. They're family. We've been through too much together to just cut ties because he was jealous." She took another sip of water.

"What was he up in arms about? You spending time with them outside of the office?"

"In January, Spence's girlfriend was killed right in front of him. So I spent a lot of nights on the phone, or over at his place, or he'd come over to our place. But it got better. Then in May, our section chief was killed." She wasn't quite sure why but she was finding Stockwell extremely easy to talk to.

Recognition flashed in his eyes and he nodded. "Heard about that. Poisoned in her hotel right? I can't even imagine."

JJ fiddled with her water bottle. "Yeah. Our unit chief was with her when she died. Our senior profiler was involved with her. Didn't make it in time to say goodbye. So, I answered a couple of late night calls again. Went to dinner once. Will lost his cool and I made my choice."

"Can't blame you there. So, how long did it take before you and Reid hooked up?"

Her eyes snapped up from the bottle in her hand. "What? No. We're not…what gave you that impression?"

Stockwell blushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just assumed…Your son mentioned you both getting home and it sounded to me like you live together and with the way you two interact and the thing with the blanket…I'm going to shut up now."

She felt her own face redden. "We do live together, sort of. He leases my basement apartment. He's Henry's godfather so he likes to be close. And he's my best friend. We spend the vast majority of our lives together between work and home, so we're really comfortable around each other."

Stockwell nodded but didn't speak, nor did he meet her eyes. After several long moments of silence she spoke again. "I better finish up this report so I can get home early tomorrow. I'm going to be beat."

He practically snatched his pen from the table. "Yeah, me too. My nephew's got a football game tomorrow night and I promised I would make it. Would hate for a report to make a liar of me."

* * *

By the time they landed, her paperwork was completed, but JJ was complete exhausted. Reid had woken shortly after her conversation with Stockwell and powered through his own report, but she'd had trouble focusing. Her mind kept wandering to Stockwell's assumption about herself and her partner as well as Will's accusations and Garcia's comments.

When the plane came to a stop, the trio stood and moved to collect their bags. Spencer moved toward the front to open the door, but Stockwell hung back. She paused and waited for him to move, but he gestured for her to pass him. "Ladies first."

Standing by the (now opened) door, Spencer shook his head. "Manners do not apply in this circumstance. JJ won't let anyone else be the last one to disembark. It's her 'thing'."

Stockwell eyed her for a moment then shrugged and preceded her down the aisle. "So, why do you have to be the last one off the plane?"

She followed him through the door and down the steps. "Habit, I guess. Once, like ten years ago, Morgan left his house keys on the jet. That was back when about five teams were sharing the same jet. It took me a three and a half days to track them down and get them back, during which time I somehow got volunteered to let him stay at my apartment. The man gets up at five am, just for fun. I vowed that it would never happen again, so now I check the plane. Plus, there's something comforting about stepping off knowing that the team's all back home where they belong."

He mulled over her words as they crossed to the waiting SUV. She handed her bag off to the young agent that had been sent to collect them. As he moved to place it in the cargo area, she climbed into the front passenger seat. Once all three men had piled inside, the agent that had met them put the vehicle into gear.

As she struggled not to doze, Spencer chatted with their travelling companion. "Is your car at Quantico?"

"No. I flew out commercial so it's in long term at Dulles. But my boss said there would be a car from the motor pool reserved for me to take home tonight and back tomorrow."

JJ tuned out the rest of their conversation, snapping back to attention as they pulled up outside of the federal building. They exited the vehicle and collected their bags from the back. She and Spencer both wished Stockwell a good night and turned to walk toward the parking garage, but his voice made her pause. "Agent Jareau, can I have a word?"

She exchanged a look with Spencer and shrugged. "Why don't you go get the van and meet me back down here?"

He nodded and continued on his way as she turned back toward the man who had called her name. "What's up?"

He hitched a smile at her. "Look, I know I really shoved my foot in my mouth earlier, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to forget about that and maybe let me take you to dinner sometime?"

The question shocked her and she considered it for a moment. Stockwell was an attractive man, a couple of years older than her, and seemed like a genuinely nice person. But she was absolutely not attracted to him in the slightest. She smiled gently. "Well, I do forgive you for earlier, and I'm flattered, but I think I'm going to have to decline."

His face fell. "Alright."

JJ felt slightly guilty. "It's not anything personal. I'm just not ready to 'get back out there'. But if you wanted to grab lunch with my team sometime when we're in town, that would be nice."

He nodded and smiled, but the expression didn't meet his eyes. "Sure." He dug in his pocket and extracted a card. He took a moment to add his cell number on the back then handed it to her. "Let me know when."

Before she could be forced to figure out something else to say, Spencer pulled up in her van and she hoisted her bag. "I will. Have a good night."

He watched as she rounded the waiting vehicle. "You too."

* * *

AN: Just a little piece of drivel to mess with JJ's mind even more.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: I didn't make it to the garage sales because I went out last night with some coworker and didn't get home until after 1am, but according to my mother, I didn't miss anything good. Allergies are kicking my butt again so I don't know how long it will take to get this written and up, nor when you can expect the next chapter.

MN: The first part of this one just really kinda wrote itself in our brain, so it just has to go into the story. Then, once again folks we need to move this story along so watch the time jump.

* * *

They were nearly halfway home before Spencer spoke. "Did he ask you out?"

She had been teetering on the edge of sleep in the passenger seat and his question didn't fully make sense to her. "What?"

"Stockwell. Did he ask you out? Is that what he wanted to talk to you about?" He was far more observant about interpersonal interactions than most people gave him credit for.

JJ leaned her head back against the seat. "Yes, he did."

"Oh. Did you say yes?" While he was observant, delicate he was not.

"No. I invited him to lunch with the team though." She once again closed her eyes.

She could almost hear his brain trying to process the information. "Why not?"

She sighed. "I don't know, Spence. I just don't feel an attraction to him I guess. Besides, I'm technically still married."

"Oh." He lapsed back into a silence that was suddenly uncomfortable as she returned to her doze against the window.

She woke with a start as they came to a stop in the driveway.

"That's odd. Garcia's car is here."

Spencer's observation caused her to look instinctually out through the windshield. Indeed, Garcia's car was in her driveway. "That _is_ odd."

She hurried to get out of the car, taking her briefcase but leaving her go bag to be handled in the morning. She unlocked the front door quietly, but was disconcerted when the alarm keypad didn't beep at her entrance. She dropped her briefcase and her hand fell to her gun holster, undoing the snap.

Before she could decide whether or not she should draw the weapon, however, the Tech analyst appeared at the top of the stairs looking sleep rumpled and adorned in Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. "Hey, Peaches."

The greeting lacked all of the woman's usual pep, understandable considering the hour. "Hey, Garcie. What are you doing here?"

Garcia yawned widely as she descended the stairs before responding. "Will called me just before Midnight. He got called in to work and he couldn't get ahold of the sitter, so I told him I'd meet him here to stay with Henry. I tried calling you, but it went straight to voicemail so I figured you had no signal, then after that I figured it was late and you'd be asleep."

Spencer entered the house carrying both of his bags as well as her duffle. "Everything okay?"

JJ nodded, relieving him of her bag. "Yeah. Garcia saved the day when Will got called in to work." She turned back to the technical analyst. "Thanks for coming to the rescue, Garcia. Why don't you get back to sleep?"

She waived her hand dismissively. "I think I'm in need of a cup of tea now. And I'm guessing that I scared the bejesus out of you and you could use one too. I'll go start the kettle." She disappeared into the kitchen.

JJ dropped her bag by the foot of the stairs then followed. By the time she entered the kitchen, Spencer had already disappeared down into his apartment, shutting the door fully for the first time in quite a while. As Garcia fussed over the stove and picked out herbal tea, she opened the cabinet and took out two mugs.

Her friend leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to heat and nodded in the direction of the door that led downstairs. "What's up with Boy Genius? He barely even grumbled a 'no' at me when I asked him if he wanted tea. He upset about something?"

JJ shook her head. "I don't know. He's probably just tired. It's been a long day. And we have to be up again in less than five hours. If something is still off after the weekend, I'll talk to him."

* * *

Her head had been resting atop her arms on the table, but it snapped upright as something was set in front of her. Her eyes focused on the coffee cup then slid up to see Morgan standing beside the table. "Sorry, Blondie. Naptime is over. Garcia's got something for us. The others are all on their way in here."

"I should have taken this week for vacation instead of next." She picked up the cup and gulped down the hot liquid, only slightly aware of the taste. "Thanks, Morgan. Hopefully she's got something good for us. I need this case to be over."

They had been in Florida for 5 days now and between working the case and dealing with the media frenzy, there weren't enough hours in the day for her to find the time to sleep. All of their victims had been extremely wealthy. That led to extra pressure for the team and an increase in reporter activity. She had managed to avoid actually appearing on camera herself, but she had spent hours writing press releases and coaching the local police department's media representative.

As Morgan set a laptop up at the head of the table, the rest of the team filed in. Rossi took the seat to her right, eyeing her suspiciously. "JJ, when was the last time you slept?"

She rolled her eyes. "About two minutes ago until Morgan woke me up."

His glare showed he was unamused. "I mean actually going to the hotel and laying down and sleeping."

She heaved a sigh. "Honestly, I have no idea. Two days ago maybe? Two and a half?"

"I don't care what Garcia has to say, after this you're going back to the hotel and getting some rest. You're no good to us if you pass out exhausted."

She opened her mouth to protest but the look he gave her shut her up. She closed her mouth just as Garcia's face appeared on the screen.

"Bonjour my beloved super heroes." The woman was smiling and perky, but JJ could see the dark circles under her eyes.

Morgan dropped into the seat to her left. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Baby Girl?"

"Well my Mocha Latte, since we were all collectively stuck, I decided to start over. I went through the financials again." The sound of keys was clear through the speakers as she spoke.

Spencer shook his head. "You already did that. No abnormal activity, no overlap."

"Correct, Mon Cher. So I dug deeper. All of our couples recently made sizable donations to different charitable organizations. Not unusual for them. I dug deeper into said charities and found out that they are all subsidiaries of the same larger organization, although their finances are maintained separately."

Hotch had been furiously scribbling notes on his pad and looked up. "Dig deeper into the parent organization, Garcia. We need to make sure that these couples didn't stumble onto a scam and get killed as a result."

She looped her eyes dramatically. "Way ahead of you, Boss Man. Only problem is, this is getting into the category of too complex for a computer geek. So I asked the section chief over at the white collar division if he could loan us some help. His number analyst got here twenty minutes ago." She shifted the camera to show a pale man in his forties sitting at one of her computers, pouring over data. "Joe's field partner is on his way to you, landing in about ninety minutes. I'll send his itinerary to your tablets. His name is Special Agent Logan Stockwell…Huh, JJ, that's the guy you guys had fly home with you a couple weeks ago, right?"

She resisted the urge to bang her head on the table. "Yeah. I didn't realize he was Financial Crimes."

Hotch stood. "Good work, Garcia. JJ, since you've already met him, I'm putting you in charge of bringing Stockwell up to speed when he gets here, then I want you to go to the hotel and get some sleep. The rest of you are with me. There's a big event tonight. We're going to go to work the profile for a couple of hours, see if we can catch any leads, then I want everyone to get a solid night's rest. We need to start fresh in the morning."

The computer screen reverted back to the background image as Garcia disconnected and everyone started moving. A moment later, the room was once again empty, save for JJ and Rossi. The man was studying her intently once again.

"What?" He was making her feel more than slightly self-conscious.

"What's the deal with Stockwell? When Garcia mentioned his name you and Reid both stiffened. Something the team should be concerned about?" His eyebrow was quirked upward in genuine worry.

She shook her head. "No. Nice guy."

He continued to stare at her. "Then what's the issue?"

She sighed heavily yet again. "He asked me out the night he flew back from Colorado with us. I said no. Told him I'd call him to invite him to lunch with the team sometime but we haven't really been home since. So there's a serious potential for some awkwardness here."

She could tell he was fighting back a smile. "He's a field agent. He'll understand that part. So why'd you say no?"

Now it was her turn to stare at him. Rossi was rarely so bluntly inquisitive about her personal life. "Because I didn't feel like saying yes? Shouldn't you be going to eat dinner so you're ready for that event tonight or something?"

He held up his hands in defeat. "It was just a question. And maybe a little bit of a suggestion that you get back out there." He shoved back from the table and stood. "Get some rest tonight. You look like hell."

* * *

AN: I could have kept going but this was long enough and I want to get it up before JenJen gets home from work because she's having a rough weekend.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Don't ask me where this is coming from because I have absolutely no clue. Bastian swears it isn't him either…

MN: It's not! I'm pretty sure it's AJ, she just realize she's doing it.

* * *

Stockwell grinned immediately when he spotted her standing against the SUV outside the airport. He crossed to her and pulled open the back door to stick his bag inside. "I think I like the BAU's idea of a welcoming committee."

She rolled her eyes as she rounded to climb into the driver's seat. Once he was seated next to her, she put the vehicle into gear and carefully pulled out into traffic. "SSA Hotchner wants me to brief you on the case and the profile then he wants everyone to get a good night's sleep. Our Tech Analyst has a room reserved for you at our hotel. It's only a couple of blocks from the police station so it's pretty convenient. The restaurant in the lobby is decent to so I figured we could talk shop over dinner because, quite honestly, I can't remember the last time I ate something that didn't come out of a bag."

She could feel him watching her as she spoke and it made her even more uncomfortable. "Alright. I take it's been a rough case?"

She sighed. "Yes. Sorry. I'm just exhausted. There's a lot of pressure on this one. I haven't even gotten to talk to Henry in three days."

"So call him real quick when we get back to the hotel. I could use the chance to jump in the shower anyway." His tone was casual but the sentiment was touching.

"Thanks. That sounds like a good idea."

Just over an hour later, she found herself sharing a table with him in the corner booth at the hotel restaurant. They had ordered dinner and as soon as the waiter had walked away, JJ booted up her tablet. He scooted around to sit on the side of the booth next to her rather than across from her so she could place the device at an angle between them.

She filled him in on their victims and what they told him about their UnSub before their food arrived, but put the tablet to the side when their food arrived. "BAU policy. No faces of dead people over dinner. We talk shop, but we never look at the files while we eat."

He nodded as he unrolled his silverware. "Good policy. White Collar has a similar one but ours involves a lack of bank statements while we dine."

She took a bite of the chicken she'd ordered and smiled at the taste on her tongue before chewing and swallowing. "I've got to say, I wouldn't have pegged you for a numbers guy. If I'd had to guess, I would have said narcotics or organized crime."

He had dug into his own meal and choked slightly as he laughed. "Really? I was a drug taskforce floater until about a year ago. I'm a complete math nerd, but I don't like sitting at a desk all day. So when they started the new program of pairing up field agents with analysts in Financial Crimes, it was right up my alley. I get to be home more so I see my niece and nephew regularly, but I still get to do fieldwork. Best of both worlds for me."

JJ smiled, content to know that her profile of him hadn't been _that_ far off the mark. "I knew you didn't seem like a money stiff. So, how old are your niece and nephew?"

That question made his grin widen even more and he pulled out his cellphone. "Jarret's nine, completely obsessed with football, and giving my neat freak older sister conniptions daily." He handed her the phone which was displaying a picture of what had to be the boy he was speaking about grinning at the camera, uniform completely covered in mud and grass stains.

"Wow. That is one spectacular mess. I'm really hoping Henry chooses to go with soccer. I can't imagine having the time to wash not just the uniforms and practice clothes but all of the equipment too." She handed him back the phone and he swiped at the screen.

"Now, my little Layla is the complete opposite. Exactly like her mom, she's delicate and proper and hates a mess. She's currently four going on forty." He passed her back the phone which now showed a little girl dressed in an adorable periwinkle dress in Stockwell's arms, kissing him on the cheek.

"She has you wrapped around that little finger of hers, doesn't she?" She passed him the phone back and picked back up her fork.

"Completely. And she is absolutely aware of it too. But as much as I spoil her, our little sister does the same for Jarret. Between the two of us those kids should, by all rights, be completely rotten. But they both have hearts of gold." He had returned his phone to his pocket and resumed his meal as well.

"I know what you mean. Henry is completely spoiled by every member of the team. Hell, even Morgan's mom sends him and Jack presents." She noticed the quizzical look on his face. "Our unit chief's son. He and Henry are like peas in a pod even as different as they are."

They shared stories of their families back and forth as they ate and JJ found herself really enjoying his company. As the waiter cleared their plates, her phone rang. Morgan's face was displayed on the screen and her smile faded. "Back to work." She answered the call. "What's up Morgan?"

"Hey. Hotch wanted me to let you know that we're all supposed to meet downstairs in the morning at seven. You get Stockwell picked up alright?" She could hear noise in the background and assumed he had stepped into a secluded corner at whatever even they were at.

"Yup. Just finished dinner. About to fill him in on what Garcia found on the financials then I'm going to bed. Things going alright there?" As she spoke she retrieved her tablet and powered it back on.

"No leads. I think we're going to try to pack it in soon. If we stay out much later I think Rossi might turn into a pumpkin." She could hear the sound of something hitting the man in the background.

"Morgan, do yourself a favor and shut up before he kills you and we have to investigate that too." He grumbled a farewell then disconnected.

Next to her, Stockwell had already shifted back into business mode and was scanning the financial documents Garcia had sent to her tablet. "I'm going to have to talk to my analyst and take a deeper look but my gut is telling me something is off here."

* * *

"No. It's a bad idea." Spencer's voice was far more forceful than usual.

Morgan put his hand on the younger man's shoulder to push him back down into his chair. "Reid, relax. We need to check out the office and JJ hasn't been seen in the field on this case yet. She can go in with Stockwell, get IDs on the staff, and hopefully notice something he wouldn't by himself."

Her roommate still shook her head. "I still think it's a bad idea. What if the UnSub decides to target them?"

JJ decided it was time to speak up herself. "Good. It'll draw him out, we can catch him and go home. I'm two days overdue for my vacation, and I haven't seen Henry in a week and a half. If this brings the UnSub into the open, I'm all for it."

Spencer opened his mouth again but Hotch held up a hand, effectively silencing the entire conversation. "Enough. She's okay with it, Stockwell's okay with, I'm okay with it and I've cleared it through both Section Chiefs. It's happening."

Spencer was back on his feet in an instant and out through the door. She looked at Hotch and he hitched his head so she followed him. He was outside the station before she managed to catch up to him. "Spence, what the hell?"

He didn't turn back toward her, instead maintaining his gaze on the park across the street. "It's a bad idea, Jayje."

She brought herself up directly next to him. "No, it isn't. It's a really good one. So why are you freaking out?"

"He's not one of us. We don't know him. Why can't they send you in with Morgan or Hotch?" Now she was making progress with him.

"Because, they've both given interviews on the case to the media just like you and Rossi have. Besides, this is Stockwell's thing. He's a good agent. And, I'll be wired up like a Christmas tree. You guys will be able to see and hear everything. And I know that _you_ will have my back." She placed her hand on his arm and he finally turned to face her.

"I still don't like it."

She resisted the urge to sigh. "Do you not like the idea or just that it's me that is going in?"

The look on his face told her she'd hit the nail squarely on the head and she was suddenly angry. "What, you don't think I can handle it?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, I know you can. You're a good agent."

"Then let me do my job." She spun on her heel and stormed back in through the doors.

* * *

AN: And there ya go. Gotta actually put some substance into this fic after all. And I also gotta get a chapter of 'Freedom' in before Sebastian has a coronary, so that's next on the list.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Still not entirely sure where this is coming from, but I hope you enjoy it!

MN: Still all her.

* * *

"Blondie, you good? It took JJ a moment to realize that Morgan was asking her a question as he tucked the last bit of wire from the microphone into the back of her dress.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She stepped away from him to start on her makeup. The one plus side of getting ready for her upcoming op in an interrogation room was that the mirrored one way glass provided an excellent place to primp.

"You really don't have to do this." As soon as he'd seen her dress, Morgan had been firmly planted in Spencer's corner.

_She unzipped the garment bag and withdrew the silky blue material hanging within. "Ooo, good choice Garcia." The compliment was muttered entirely to herself. The Technical Analyst had overnighted the outfit directly to the station, so she hadn't yet seen her choice._

"_Not that it isn't a great dress, and blue is definitely your color, but how are you supposed to wear a vest under it?" She had almost been expecting that observation from her roommate once he saw it, but not from Morgan._

"_I'm not. We're going in strictly for recon. Besides, our UnSub has yet to use a gun." She dug back into the bag in search of the matching shoes._

"_Same could have been said about the one who shot you until we got close."_

_She spun on him then and stepped toward him, startling him enough that he moved a step back. "If you have a problem with the assignment, take it up with Hotch and let me know if you change his mind. Otherwise, back the hell off and let me do my job, Derek."_

She shot him a glare in the mirror and he held up his hands in defeat then perched atop the table. "Okay. You just looked like you were having second thoughts. If that's not it, what _is_ on your mind?"

She sighed and went back to applying eyeshadow. "He had a complete conniption when Stockwell brought up this idea. What's his problem?"

She could still see his reflection in the mirror and he looped his eyes. "Pretty Boy? His problem is that it's _you_. And he doesn't trust Stockwell as far as he could toss him."

JJ closed her eyeshadow case and began digging through her little pouch of lipstick. "Why doesn't he think I can handle myself? If it was _you_ he wouldn't be freaking out."

Her teammate snorted out a laugh and she turned toward him, open tube in hand. "What?"

He shot her his patented 'you're kidding me' look. "The way Reid feels about you and I are totally different beasts. You're his best friend. After everything else he's lost, he couldn't handle losing you. You're the only reason he made it through Emily and Maeve. You're his rock. Without you, he crumbles. You getting shot scared the hell out of him, so, he's overreacting."

She heaved yet another sigh and turned back toward the mirror. "Well, he's driving me nuts. What do I do? I don't want to push him away, but we can't keep going like this. It's going to destroy our friendship." She finished applying the lipstick and tucked it back in the pouch before repacking her makeup case with more force than was needed.

"I don't know, but it's going to have to start with a conversation neither of you want to have."

Bag now packed, she turned back to look at him. "_Now_ what are you talking about?"

Mogan slid from the table and crossed to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I mean that you both need to admit what's going on between you two. Things have changed and it's affecting both of you. You guys need to come clean."

"I _still_ don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's changed between Spence and I." She was starting to get a headache.

Morgan opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the opening of the door.

"Hey, Agent Hotchner wants to get moving. You ready?" Stockwell paused just inside the doorway.

Morgan dropped his hands to his sides and turned, brushing past the man to exit the room. "I'm ready to get out of here, that's for sure." JJ shook her head and sighed then retrieved her purse and wrap from the table.

Stockwell was still standing by the door, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. I interrupted something that, from the look on Morgan's face, was _not_ finished."

JJ shook her head again as she led him out. "Oh, no. It was done, he just didn't know it yet."

Stockwell held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. Moving on. You look amazing."

She smiled at that. "You don't clean up too bad yourself. But I have to say, this dress is a whole lot more comfortable when I'm not wired and armed in it."

He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide. "Wait, you're armed? In _that_?"

* * *

JJ scowled at her reflection in the window. She was fairly sure the red wine was never coming out of the delicate material of her dress. With a sigh, she pushed the door to the hotel open and moved out into the chaos.

"Thanks to a joint effort with the FBI, we have a suspect in custody. At this time, I cannot release his name. He will be taken in for questioning." The local PD's media pointman was doing quite a skilled job of keeping the reporters away from those still working the scene.

Almost immediately, Spencer was at her side with an FBI windbreaker in hand for her. The fall air was crisp and cool and she gladly slipped it on over her dress. "Thanks."

He nodded. "You okay?"

She offered him a soft smile. "Yeah. Morgan and Rossi owe me a new outfit though. When they tackled the UnSub, one of them managed to jostle the little old lady next to me. I wore her entire glass of wine."

JJ's instincts had been right. The UnSub hadn't been armed at the party, but he had come bearing Rohypnol. The team had caught him stuffing an unconscious couple into his SUV. The chase had led back into the party before they had managed to catch up with him for the takedown.

She could tell that he was trying to work out how to say something else when Blake approached. "Hey, JJ. Hotch wants you and I to go back to the station and run point on the interview. He thinks our guy will respond better to a pair of women."

"Okay, I'll be right there." She waited for the older woman to walk away before looking back at her best friend. "We can talk at home. Let's get this over so you can head to Vegas to get your mom and we can all get home to Henry."

He nodded again. "Okay."

She wove her way through the flurry of activity to the SUV Blake had climbed into and got into the passenger seat and buckled up. "So, how does Hotch want us to play this?"

Blake put the vehicle in gear and started creeping forward as the sea of bodies parted to accommodate them. "Mean cop, nurturing cop. Which one you want?"

"Seeing as this is my favorite dress and it's now completely ruined, I'll take mean cop. But really, I just want to put back on clothes where my gun isn't strapped to the inside of my thigh." She shifted in her seat to try to alleviate some of her discomfort.

"Actually, if you're going to play badass cop, you should leave it on for the first interview. Point out the stain to him. He'll feel guilty. Then we can switch out and you can go change while I get him something to drink and a snack. By the time you're ready for round two, he'll be completely confused." She pulled out onto the street, finally able to speed up.

JJ sighed. Blake was right. "Oh well. At least I won't have my gun on. And this wire has _got_ to come out from inside my bra first too. It shifted and it's been digging in for an hour!"

That comment made them both laugh as JJ dug into her purse. "You okay if I call Henry while we drive? I want to get to tell him I'll be home tomorrow before he goes to bed tonight."

Blake nodded. "Go right ahead."

She quickly pulled up Will on the speed dial and pushed the button to dial. He answered on the second ring. "Hey. You're early."

"Hey. We actually just made an arrest. I'm headed back for the interrogation and I was hoping I could talk to Henry first since I'll miss bedtime tonight." She was really impressed with how cordial Will had been ever since she'd blown up at him.

"Sure thing. Hang on." She could tell by the muffling of the sound that he had pressed his finger over the receiver on the phone to call their son. It was followed a moment later by some shuffling noises.

"Hi, Mommy!"

She couldn't help the smile that spread on her face. "Hi baby! Guess who's going to be home tomorrow?"

* * *

AN: JenJen started reading 'Freedom', which means we're being nagged on that now too. So it's up next.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I know you guys wanted to see the interrogation and also Reid's mom, but I am just not comfortable trying to write Blake or Diana Reid. Sorry.

MN: In addition to what she said, we're in a fluffy kind of mood.

* * *

With a sigh, JJ sat up and swung her feet out of bed. She had been tossing and turning for nearly two hours and still had yet to fall asleep. Maybe some tea would help. She pulled a pair of yoga pants on with her oversized t-shirt before exiting the room.

She was surprised to hear the low sounds of the TV in the living room and, as she descended the stairs, her roommate came into view on the couch. "Hey, couldn't sleep either?"

He looked at her startled. "Hey. Did the TV wake you? I didn't want to use the one downstairs because I thought it would wake up my mom."

She shook her head. "No. I was awake. Want some tea?"

He nodded and stood to follow her into the kitchen. "That's probably a good idea. I don't know why I couldn't sleep. It's been a while since I really had problems with it at home."

She nodded as she grabbed the kettle and moved to fill it at the sink. "Me too. I don't know what the problem is. Did your mom get settled in okay?"

Once they had wrapped up their case, Spencer had flown straight to Las Vegas to accompany his mother back to DC. "Yeah. She was exhausted after the flight. I think she was probably asleep before Henry was."

As he pulled mugs from one cabinet, she retrieved a pair of tea bags from another. "I'm glad she decided to come, even though we had to push it back because of that case."

He smiled at her. "Me too. How did things go when you picked up Henry yesterday?"

She had wanted to be able to pick her son up directly from school, but clearing her desk of paperwork had taken longer than she had anticipated so she'd had to get him from Will. "Good." They stood in silence for a long moment. "He signed the papers."

His head snapped around to face her, his eyes wide in shock. "Really?"

She nodded and fidgeted with one of the mugs. "Yeah. Said he didn't even know why he was delaying anymore. So he signed them and took them to the lawyer while we were gone. We have a hearing next Friday for it to be finalized."

He studied her for a moment. "Are you ready for that?"

She looked back up at him and nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready for it to be over. It's one less thing for us to fight about. And really it doesn't change anything from how it's been for the last few months."

He seemed to know exactly what she needed and opened his arms to her. She stepped forward and he wrapped her in a tight hug. She laid her face against his chest and stayed there until the kettle boiled. Wordlessly they separated. They both fixed their tea and took it with them to the living room.

Twenty minutes later, JJ's feet were up in the recliner and Spencer's head was in her lap. She glanced down to find that he had drifted off to sleep. She picked up the remote and switched off the TV before settling back against the cushions and closing her eyes.

* * *

"Come on, Peaches. It'll be fun. Girls' night out to celebrate your formal independence. We can do dinner, maybe some shopping, and definitely drinks."

JJ sighed. "Fine. But I'm only agreeing because it's Diana's last night in town and I want her and Spence to be able to spend some quality time alone together. But I have to see if Will can take Henry for the night."

Garcia's squeal nearly deafened her. "Great! I'll talk to Blake. And I'll see if Beth's going to be in town. She loves girls' night!"

"Text me the details. I gotta go. I'm at the grocery store now." She waited for Garcia to give a witty sendoff and disconnect before exiting her car. As she walked into the store, she sent a text to will asking him if Henry could spend the night with him.

Several hours later she was sitting in a restaurant booth with her coworkers and their boss's girlfriend. They had finished eating but were still enjoying their glasses of wine and chatting. Across the table, Blake hitched an eyebrow at her. "So, now that you're a free woman, any prospects? Agent Stockwell seems to be rather interested."

JJ shook her head. "Oh he's interested, but I am not. He asked me out the first time we met."

Garcia rolled her eyes. "I still don't get why you turned that down. He seems like fun. And he's not too bad looking either."

"Muscle bound with a thousand watt smile is more your type then mine, Garcie. And besides, I just don't feel any chemistry there. Besides, with my schedule, I really don't have time to date. When I'm home I want to be able to focus on Henry, not on letting some guy schmooze me to try to get into my pants." She took a long sip of her wine.

The computer whiz narrowed her eyes at the woman next to her at the dig about Morgan. "And let me guess, our Boy Wonder has nothing to do with it? Is spending time with him more important than getting back out there too?"

As she set her glass down, JJ sighed. "Actually, yes. Spending time with my best friend interests me more than dating right now. Tell me, when is the last time you turned down movie night with Morgan to go on a date?"

The pair of blondes glared at one another for a moment before the brunette's opposite them intervened. "So, Beth, I think it's your turn to pick. Shopping or just straight to the drinks?" Usually Garcia was in charge of organizing their little party, but Blake was stepping in this time.

Beth looked across the table and responded quickly. "Shopping. Aaron's birthday is in a couple of weeks and I have absolutely no idea what to get him."

A shopping emergency outweighed the squabble with her friend in Garcia's mind and she turned back toward the table. "Oh! What gift could possibly be worthy of our fearless leader from his love?

* * *

JJ tried for a third time to get her key into the lock before Morgan wretched it from her hand. "Jeeze, Blondie. Why do you let my Baby Girl talk you into these things? Seriously, tequila?"

JJ giggled as he unlocked the door. "Actually, the José was Blake's idea. Calling _you_ to get us home was Garcia's idea. Really, I just think she's hoping you will take advantage of her."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "What's your alarm code? I don't want to wake up Reid."

She relayed the number and he pushed the door open, stepping inside to deactivate the alarm before returning to the porch. He practically carried her through the door and closed it behind him. "Come on. I want you upstairs before I go."

"It's not me you should be trying to get upstairs. It's Garcia!" JJ devolved into giggles again, drawing a sigh from her teammate.

"Jayje?" Spencer's voice preceded him from the kitchen. He was obviously surprised when he came through the doorway to find his roommate held up by their friend. "Hey Morgan."

"Pretty Boy. Thank God. Please take her. I've still got three more drunk ones in my car to get home." He crossed to them quickly and Morgan pulled JJ from him and draped her against Spencer. "Thanks kid. Make sure you get her into bed. And make her drink some water. And I'd leave some aspirin on her nightstand."

"Okay." He stood ramrod still as Morgan reset the alarm and let himself out, locking the doorknob behind him. "Uhh, Jayje, you okay?"

She giggled again. "I'm fiiiiiiine, Spence. I just had a couple shotses with the girls. I deserved them after I argued with Garcia."

He began leading her toward the stairs. "What were you arguing with her about?"

She stumbled a little on the stairs, but he was supporting the majority of her weight. "You. And Morgan. And why I don't want to date Stockwell."

"Why don't you want to date Stockwell? And why were you arguing with Garcia about it?" He pushed open her bedroom door and led her in.

"Because he's not my type. And she thinks that I won't date him because of _you_." She plopped down on her bed.

He moved to her dresser and pulled out pajamas, setting them next to her. "You change. I'm going to go get you some water."

He disappeared into her bathroom and she managed to get stripped down to her underwear and pulled the t-shirt over her head. She tossed the shorts on the floor and climbed beneath the comforter just as Spencer reentered the room. He handed her the water and set a bottle of pills on her nightstand. "Drink that and I'll refill it for you."

"Yes, sir, Dr. Reid." She giggled again before downing the liquid.

She handed him back the cup and he went to refill it, setting it beside the aspirin. "I'll come up to check on you in the morning."

She grabbed him by the hand and yanked him down into the bed with her. "You have to stay here with me or I won't be able to fall asleep. I haven't hardly slept all week and I don't want to be awake all night again."

He sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll stay until you fall asleep." He reached behind himself to click off the light as she got comfortable.

"Goodnight, Spence."

"Night."

* * *

AN: Sebby is killing me with all of this drivel! The next chapter needs to have some substance!


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